KQ, other Gilas young guns to take charge vs. Australia as Justin Brownlee sits out

With Justin Brownlee unavailable, the spotlight shifts to Gilas Pilipinas' young guns as the national team faces Australia in its final game of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers' third window on Monday.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced that the naturalized import will sit out the match due to a right hamstring strain, right peroneal tendinopathy, and left knee swelling with cartilage defects.

With Brownlee out, Gilas is expected to rely heavily on youth movement led by Kevin Quiambao, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Carl Tamayo, Mike Phillips, AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos, and RJ Abarrientos.

"So that was the vision from the very beginning when we put this team together, that they, at one point, would be the main guys and it may be coming a little more quickly than we thought," Gilas head coach Tim Cone said on Friday.

"But they are certainly stepping up and playing at a much higher level than they were when they were first on the team."

If their previous outing against New Zealand is any indication, Gilas Pilipinas' young guns have shown they are ready to take the reins.

READ MORE | Gilas Pilipinas falls to New Zealand in 2OT in FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers

Quiambao and Gomez de Liaño emerged as Gilas Pilipinas' primary offensive weapons against the Tall Blacks with the two players each scoring 23 points to offset Brownlee's unusually quiet outing. The veteran naturalized forward attempted just three shots and made two of them throughout the game.

Ramos and Tamayo posted 18 and 17 markers, respectively, while Abarrientos had six points, 10 assists, and five rebounds.

But their efforts were still not enough to get the win as Gilas Pilipinas faded in the endgame to absorb a heartbreaking 106-102 double overtime loss to New Zealand.

Gilas now has a 2-3 win-loss record in Group A, but has already qualified for the second round. New Zealand is still in second spot with a 3-2 card behind leader Australia, who remains unbeaten at 5-0.

"So we're real proud of those young guys for continuing to improve. And they both play in Korea, KQ and Carl. So, you know, they get a lot of improvement there," Cone added.

"And Juan is becoming one of the premier point guards in our league back in Manila. So again, they have great futures ahead of them."

Gilas will face the world no. 6 Boomers, who are coming off a 124-52 blowout victory over Guam behind Tyrese Proctor's 22 points and Angus Glover's 19-point outing.

—JMB, GMA News