Gilas Pilipinas guard Scottie Thompson. Photo by Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN NewsMANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas mentor Tim Cone has always believed that Scottie Thompson belongs on the world stage.

And Thompson proved his doubters wrong — the Ginebra stalwart fits in a Gilas Pilipinas jersey, the latest against New Zealand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where the country emerged victorious, 93-89, ending an eight-year, four-game drought against the Tall Blacks on Thursday at a packed Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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The 6-foot-1 guard just did his thing against the visiting cagers, listing across categories with 12 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

Cone somehow recalled a moment when there were hesitations about Thompson playing on the international level.

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But he went on to say that he "never had doubts" that the wingman had earned the right to represent the Philippines in basketball.

"I remember a time and I remember this time very distinctly where there was a lot of talk about Scottie can’t play at the international game. I don’t know if you guys remember that, but there were a lot of people saying he can’t play in the international game because he can’t shoot," said Cone during the postgame press conference.

"But in my mind, there’s never been any doubt, and in his mind, there’s never any doubt," said Cone, who's also Thompson's coach in the PBA.

More than those stats he tallied, Cone sees through Thompson's play — and we cannot dismiss those, such as his defense.

"The thing with Scottie is you can look at video all you want until you actually get on the floor and play against him, you don’t realize what he’s doing out there on the floor for you," he said.

"In terms of his tremendous rebounding, I think that’s what gets the most print. But his defense is spot-on, his hustle on the defensive side is spot-on, and he’s really, really worked hard on improving his shot, so he’s not a guy you can just step off of anymore. And his ability to get to the rim and create has always been there. He’s been that triple-double machine ever since he was at Perpetual."

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It's not surprising that the former PBA Most Valuable Player could do those, said Cone.

"So to me, it’s not a surprise. It’s still amazing the things he does, but it’s not a surprise to us and it’s not a surprise to Kai [Sotto] and all of his teammates."

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