By REYNALD MAGALLON
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone sang praises for young gun Kevin Quiambao following his stellar performance in the Nationals 95-88 overtime win over Saudi Arabia in the qualification for the quarterfinals in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.
The veteran mentor hailed the 24-year-old forward for not shying away from the big moments.
“Kevin is not afraid of the moment. I think that’s the best way to describe Kevin. Nothing’s too big for him,” Cone said of Quiambao who finished with 17 points to provide support to Justin Brownlee’s 29-point explosion.
Quiambao even nailed two crucial triples that opened the floodgates for Gilas in the extra period. Those triples proved to be the fitting followup to an earlier clutch Brownlee trey that tied the game at 79-all and sent the game to the overtime.
Not being afraid of taking the big shots is a mark of a special player according to Cone – something that he definitely sees in the young forward.
“He’ll play big. He’ll play the same way whether he’s playing here in the Asia Cup or if he’s playing in the Barangay League. He’s just got that kind of personality,” said Cone.
“He’s going to bring it all the time. He’s not going to be afraid to step up and take the big shot when it’s presented to him. That’s not always the case with a lot of players. That’s what makes him special,” he furthered.
Though already seeing his potential develop, there’s still a lot to improve on for Quiambao especially that Gilas is only starting to learn more about the former La Salle star.
“We’re still learning a lot about Kevin because he is the young gun on the team. I think the youngest player, I’m not sure either him or Carl, but they’re both the same age and he’s our youngest player,” said Cone.
To the veteran mentor, Quiambao is slowly emerging as one of Gilas key cogs alongside Brownlee, Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, and Dwight Ramos.
“He’s battling for his position and he’s battling for his minutes. He just keeps wowing us. He’s winning those battles,” Cone revealed.
“He’s becoming a vital cog. Another guy we can throw in there with Justin and Dwight. New and Scotty, June Mar and AJ, of course. He’s another guy we can throw in there,” he added.
