TIM Cone believes Kevin Quiambao’s fearlessness in the biggest moments could be the early arrival of the next great closer for Gilas Pilipinas.
After Quiambao knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer in overtime of the Philippines’ thrilling 82-81 victory over Jordan, Cone compared the young forward’s mentality to one of the most fearless clutch shooters he has coached, Jimmy Alapag.
“The one I always think about taking big shots down the stretch is Jimmy Alapag,” Cone said. “Jimmy was fearless taking those big shots down the stretch.”
Cone acknowledged that the comparison is not exact, given the difference in position and playing style, but he believes Quiambao is developing the same confidence to take responsibility when the game is on the line.
The Gilas coach recalled how Quiambao and Carl Tamayo were viewed when they first joined the national team setup as young players.
“We said at that point that at some point, he’s going to be the guy that takes over this program,” Cone said. “Him and Carl were the two young guys that were going to come up and be our main guys at some point.”
Cone originally expected that transition to happen when the two reached their mid-to-late 20s.
Instead, it is already happening now.
“I was expecting that to happen when they’re 26, 27, 28. But it’s happening now when they’re 23, 24 years old,” Cone said.
For Cone, that early emergence is a promising sign for the future of Philippine basketball.
“They’ve got a tremendous future in front of them,” he said.
And the veteran coach is clearly enjoying watching Quiambao grow into that role.
“I really enjoy coaching KQ. He’s such a good kid, too. Really, really good kid. Carl also. So it’s really fun to coach those guys,” Cone added.
After his clutch performance against Jordan, Quiambao is no longer simply one of Gilas’ young prospects.
He is beginning to look like one of the players the team can trust when the biggest shots have to be taken. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
