Juan Gomez de Liano draws energy from Gilas Pilipinas’ home crowd

Gilas Pilipinas’ Juan Gomez de Liaño during a game vs Iran in the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines— Juan Gomez de Liano found his spots for Gilas Pilipinas in its second-round match with Iran in the Fiba World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers at Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

Being open is one thing, but knocking down your shots is another. Fortunately for the Converge guard, he had the hometown crowd behind him for his best outing for the Philippines in the fourth window.

“I’m just so glad we got two Ws here at home. There’s no better feeling. It’s an amazing atmosphere,” he said.

Surprisingly, he also likened the MOA atmosphere to when the Philippines took on New Zealand in the third window, even though it was an away game for Gilas.

“It was like the same atmosphere too. It was an away game but there were a lot of Filipinos. There really is no better feeling than playing in front of the Filipino fans.”

Gomez de Liano ended up with 16 points, three rebounds and an assist to push Gilas to a 4-4 record in Group E. The State U standout credited his teammates but certainly didn’t leave the Filipino fans unnoticed.

“They keep us going,” he said, pounding his chest and pointing to the crowd. “They motivated us to play on a high level. I appreciate the support and hopefully, that support keeps on growing as we move forward.”

Thanks to the hometown crowd, Gilas swept the fourth window of the qualifiers, defeating Jordan in overtime on Friday before pummeling the Iranians 48 hours later.