ON the lookout for a sparkplug against red-hot Chinese Taipei last Wednesday, National coach Tim Cone got what he wanted in former La Salle ace and two-time UAAP MVP Kevin Quiambao.
Too bad it was a case of too little, too late as Gilas Pilipinas surrendered an 87-95 decision to the Taiwanese in Group D action of the FIBA Asia Cup at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
For the 6-foot-5 Quiambao, who is also chasing an NBA dream, he is simply repaying the trust and confidence of his coach.
“Lagi ko lang sinasabi sa sarili ko na dapat stay-ready (ang) mentality ko,” Quiambao said.
“Iyong trust ni coach Tim sa akin, nandoon, so kailangan kong suklian kung ano ang ibinibigay niya sa akin,” he said.
Quiambao totaled 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists in leading a fightback try in the fourth quarter by the Philippine five that fell short.
Gilas tried to avert a 0-2 hole and be relegated to the losers’ bracket in the group phase when it squared off with powerhouse New Zealand at press time last night at the same venue.
Cone’s squad will also tackle Iraq tomorrow to wind up its initial campaign in the Aug. 5 to 17 meet formerly known as the ABC Championship and FIBA Asia Championship.
Make no mistake about it, Quiambao caught Cone’s fancy in their first stern test.
“He came out and played with a lot of energy, hit some big shots for us but you know, just still came up short,” Cone said, referring to Quiambao. “Again, we were playing from our heels, so we were trying to rush back into the game and took a lot of ill-advised shots, made a lot of ill-advised fouls.
“But in terms of the way Kevin played, he played very, very well and he was the highlight of the team.”
