Gilas Pilipinas coach Cone lauds Jamie Malonzo's professionalism despite no minutes yet in FIBA Asia Cup
That has been the case for Jamie Malonzo in Gilas Pilipinas' ongoing stint at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup as the high-flying forward has logged three DNPs (did not play) in as many games.
But the B. League-bound star, according to Gilas coach Tim Cone, is accepting the role as the Filipinos continue to salvage their campaign.
"All 12 guys are committed to each other and Jamie is showing great professionalism in handling his role," Cone said in a message.
"He's been very supportive of his teammates and the goals that we have. His time will come."
Jamie Malonzo remains the lone Gilas Pilipinas player yet to see action in the regional tournament. He was sidelined in the national team's first two outings—a 95-87 loss to Chinese Taipei and a 94-86 defeat to New Zealand—that dropped them to 0-2 in Group D.
Even in Gilas' crucial 66-57 victory over Iraq last Saturday, the former Barangay Ginebra forward still never got off the bench.
Cone likened Malonzo to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who, despite his stellar resume and proven talent, saw limited action during Team USA's gold-medal run at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The multi-titled tactician admitted he feels worse not fielding his longtime and trusted ward.
"As for Jamie, he's our Jayson Tatum," Cone added.
"It's hard playing all 12 players with this much talent on the team, and no one feels worse about not playing him than me."
Malonzo and the rest of Gilas Pilipinas will take on host Saudi Arabia in a knockout game on Tuesday at 12 a.m. with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against the defending champion Australia.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
Cone admits Australia's athleticism, length overwhelmed Gilas Pilipinas in FIBA Asia Cup QF loss
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone admitted that Australia's superior athleticism and length proved to be a wall too high for the Filipinos to overcome, as the Philippines suffered an 84-60 blowout loss in their 2025 FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals clash on Wednesday. "No doubt, the Australians' athleticism and length, even though you see it on videos, when you get there and start playing them on the court, you'll realize they're very superior," Cone said. "And so we just had a hard time staying in front of them and hard time challenging their threes, and they moved the ball really well and they got up shots quick. They played at a really good pace." The Boomers clicked from the floor right from the get-go, with youngster Jaylin Galloway heating up and firing three three-pointers that set the tone for the defending champions. It was all Australia from that point on, as the likes of Owen Stephen Foxwell, Will Magnay, and Jack McVeigh helped seal another lopsided win for the Boomers. Australia dominated in almost all facets of the game, hitting 11 triples compared to Gilas' eight, while also controlling the boards with 57 rebounds to the Filipinos' 36. They also clamped down on Justin Brownlee, limiting the naturalized forward to just 10 points on only seven shot attempts. That allowed Kevin Quiambao to take over the scoring load with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep. READ MORE | Gilas Pilipinas scores and stats vs Australia "They also did a great job on defending Justin, limiting him to only seven shots. So the tournament is over for us and the big scheme of things, we're not pleased with what happened," Cone added. "But like I said, this is a great team to be around and I'm really proud and honored to be on this team and be with these guys but tonight was not a good performance for us." Gilas now sets its sights on the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, where they'll face Australia again, along with New Zealand and Guam, starting this November. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
8 hours ago
- GMA Network
Gilas Pilipinas at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup: Recap, results, and photos
Gilas Pilipinas ended its campaign in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup after falling to Australia, 84-60, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was not the result that the Philippines wanted but the nationals still gave their all and gave Filipinos reasons to celebrate during the course of the tournament. Overall, the Philippines had two wins and three losses in the tournament. Here's a recap of the Philippines' matches in the FIBA Asia Cup. Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup Group stage The Filipinos struggled to find their rhythm early, but mounted a second-quarter rally behind Justin Brownlee. Scottie Thompson and Kevin Quiambao then came alive in the second half to make a comeback. Gilas, however, failed to complete the come-from-behind attempt. READ MORE | Scores and stats vs Chinese Taipei The Philippines trailed by 18 points in the first half but fought back late and inched closer to within three points in the fourth quarter. The Tall Blacks, however, held off Gilas to claim the victory. READ MORE | Scores and stats vs New Zealand Dwight Ramos stood out in Gilas Pilipinas' third-quarter rally to lead a 66-57 win against Iraq as the Filipinos notched its first win in the tournament. With the victory, the Philippines booked the no. 3 spot in Group D and moved to the qualification to the quarterfinals. READ MORE | Scores and stats vs Iraq Qualification to quarterfinals : Gilas Pilipinas 95-88 Saudi Arabia Gilas Pilipinas played without the injured Calvin Oftana (ankle) before losing CJ Perez to an apparent ankle injury in the second period. The nationals then banked on the heroics of Justin Brownlee to arrange a QF duel against two-time defending champion Australia. READ MORE | Scores and stats vs Saudi Arabia Quarterfinals : Gilas Pilipinas 60-84 Australia Gilas Pilipinas saw its campaign come to an end after falling to the Boomers who torched the Philippines early on and never looked back in their quarterfinals duel. READ MORE | Scores and stats vs Australia —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
9 hours ago
- GMA Network
2025 FIBA Asia Cup: Gilas Pilipinas vs Australia quarterfinals
Philippine fans cheer for Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup. (Photo: FIBA) Gilas Pilipinas fell to Australia, 84-60, in the quarterfinals on Wednesday to bow out of contention in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Kevin Quiambao had 17 points, while Dwight Ramos had 15 points as the Philippines ended its campaign in the Asian tourney. Jaylin Galloway and Stephen Foxwell had 15 points apiece as Australia advanced to the semifinals. READ MORE | Score and stats vs Australia Here are some photos from the quarterfinals match: —JKC, GMA Integrated News
