Gomez de Liaño the silver lining that glowed bright in loss to Kiwis

Juan Gomez de Liaño (with ball) got the attention of the Tall Blacks after a splendid effort coming off the bench in his first game back for Gilas in four years. —FIBA.COM PHOTO

Gilas Pilipinas lost to New Zealand in the second window of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday night, but there was a very bright silver lining in Juan Gomez de Liaño that everyone else at Mall of Asia Arena saw.

A 69-66 loss to the big Kiwis didn’t take anything away from how Gomez de Liaño played, which even Tall Blacks’ mainstay Jordan Ngatai couldn’t help but tip his hat to.

“He’s really good, man,” Ngatai told the Inquirer, almost shaking his head in disbelief at the talent he saw in the Filipino swingman.

“I think if he can have his staple and make a name for himself in this national team, the Philippines will go to that next level.

“He can bring that extra power for them.”

Gomez de Liaño hasn’t worn the Gilas jersey since 2022, yet, he didn’t look like he lost a step at all upon his return to the national team.

Coming off the bench, the State U product finished with 10 points built on conversions from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, the spark he gave coming off the bench wasn’t enough as the Philippines dropped to a 2-1 record in Group A.

Aside from Ngatai, though, the Gilas faithful were also wowed by the Converge guard’s spectacular outing.

One of which, of course, was Justin Arana, Gomez de Liaño’s fellow FiberXer.

“I’m happy for my teammate,” Arana said, joining the flock of Filipinos exiting the MOA Arena after the Nationals’ heart-rending defeat.

“He showed his best. I’m proud of him. He applied whatever he did in the PBA here at the international level,” Arana said. “I have a hundred percent trust in Juan. I know he gives his best in every game.”

Now, the Philippines is hoping to get that same spark when Gilas takes on powerhouse Australia on Sunday at the same venue for a shot at a ticket to the qualifiers’ second round, and the Filipinos need no less than an upset.

The match against Australia will be the first for these two countries on PH soil since that infamous 2018 brawl at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan which showed the ugly sides of both teams.

Both countries were slapped fines totaling 350,0000 Swiss Francs by the Fiba, with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas paying 250,000 (around P19 million),