MANILA, Philippines — Coach Tim Cone sees a bright future for Gilas Pilipinas. And he has every reason for that after seeing Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and Mason Amos perform in Gilas Pilipinas' 93-54 spanking of Hong Kong to clinch the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Gilas stayed perfect in Group B with its 4-0 record.

The American coach liked what be saw with Tamayo, who made the most of his 17-minute effort by leading Gilas in scoring with 16 points and five reboundd.

"In the first half, he got out, he hit a three-point shot, he went to the basket, he had a post-up, he had an offensive rebound, all scores. And that's what we are looking for from our young guys," said Cone after Sunday's game.

On the other hand, Quiambao and Amos, who failed to play in the Philippines' 93-89 win over New Zealand, were given the chance to show their wares before a full house crowd at the famed Pasay sports arena.

The 22-year-old Quiambao, the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player, delivered eight points, five rebounds, and four assists, while the 19-year-old Amos, who is still underdoing residency for De La Salle, chipped in three points, two boards, and one block.

"We want to use their total game. That's the case with him (Tamayo), with KQ, and even Mason. Mason is a specialist in terms of taking three-point shots, but we are trying to get him to expand his game as well," noted Cone.

The multi-titled PBA coach said he has no doubt, that the three young members of the national team will eventually, become the next wave of Gilas stars as they continue to grow under his system.

"I won't stop saying this. They are the superstars of this team down the road. And they are still learning, feeling their way," stressed Cone, the chief architect behind the Philippines' first gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China after the country last won in 1962.

Cone said with the country's hopes on the line, he gets hard on Tamayo and Co.

"I get on Carl hard as he knows. We all come into the team with different habits. It's really trying to get us all on the same page, creating the same habits so we can all play together, and read each other together," he added.

Despite the adjustments and learning curve among the players, Cone is just happy to see everyone respond well.

"As we always keep saying, this is not an All-Star team. We are not out there to showcase our individual skills. We got to come together as a team. Sometimes, it takes some hard coaching," he emphasized

"That's what I love about this team. They really accept that idea. And it makes it so much easier from a coaching standpoint to handle this team," Cone added.

Gilas won't return to action till February where the Philippine team will play two away games against Taiwan and New Zealand.

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