Kevin Quiambao reflects on his learning experience with Gilas at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup

The Philippine men’s national basketball team’s 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign came to an end in the quarterfinals after suffering an 84-60 defeat to Australia on Wednesday, August 13, at the King Abdullah Sports City Arena in Jeddah.

One of the bright spots for Gilas Pilipinas during the tournament was the performance of young forward Kevin Quiambao, who made significant contributions whenever head coach Tim Cone gave him the opportunity to showcase his talents on the court.

Quiambao helped fuel a second-half surge in Gilas’ opening game against Chinese Taipei. Despite the loss, he recorded 17 points, four rebounds, and two assists. He received limited minutes against New Zealand and Iraq, but proved why he’s a rising talent to watch in their crucial game against hosts Saudi Arabia. The 24-year-old finished with 17 points, including two three-pointers in overtime, along with three assists, three steals, and one rebound, helping Gilas secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Kevin Quiambao is expected to enter South Korea on August 18.#KevinQuiambao pic.twitter.com/vKZdAAufip

— 알럽바스켓공 (@baekpd1983) August 14, 2025

Quiambao described his stint with the national team at the FIBA Asia Cup as a “learning experience,” and said he hopes to carry those lessons into future international assignments.

“It’s a great learning experience for us. We will carry this over into the next one in November. For this game, I think right from the start, they went on a run. They hit three early three-pointers, so we had a hard time catching up,” Quiambao said.

Quiambao also stood out in their loss to Australia, leading the team with 17 points and four rebounds, further proving why he may become a future cornerstone of the Gilas program.

“So for me, as a young gun here, as much as I wanted to execute the system and follow the game plan, it just didn’t work the whole game. So yeah, on to the next one — and we’ll keep our heads high for this one,” he added.

The 24-year-old also has aspirations of becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA. He recently spent time in the United States, working out with several NBA teams. However, despite his efforts, Quiambao was left off the Sacramento Kings’ roster for the NBA 2K26 Summer League and failed to make a strong impression during his workouts.

For now, the forward is expected to return to his South Korean club, Goyang Sono Skygunners, and begin preparations for the upcoming season.

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