MANILA, Philippines -- Scottie Thompson's stint with the Philippine national team should be a great boost of confidence for the versatile guard, Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.

Thompson was called up to the Philippine national basketball team for the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers last month, and started both games against Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

In two games, he averaged three points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, while playing 18.5 minutes per contest.

"For Scottie, I think it's a huge thing," Cone said in a recent interview. "Not only did he play, he's a starter. He started both games, he got to guard guys like [Wael Arakji] and he got to play along JC [Jordan Clarkson]."

"Just a tremendous experience for him," he added.

• READ: Ahead of Nov. window, Gilas to start weekly practices
• READ: Gilas players see 'a lot of potential' in current team

Thompson was one of two Ginebra players who were called up to the national team, along with Japeth Aguilar. Cone noted that Aguilar is a mainstay of Gilas Pilipinas, with several stints already under his belt, including two World Cup campaigns.

"Japeth's been doing it for a while now, so it's probably not a big deal for him, but I think every time he has to go out and play, he learns something new," said Cone of their veteran forward.

For Thompson, however, this was his first call-up since the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers, and Cone was thrilled to see the things that Thompson does for Ginebra translate to the Gilas level.

Thompson had memorably turned down an invitation to play in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, admitting at the time that he felt his game was not yet up to par. Since then, Thompson has emerged as one of the best players in the PBA, winning Most Valuable Player honors last season.

"I'm real proud of him because I think the things we see in him from a Ginebra standpoint, the coaching staff, it was obvious to the Gilas coaching staff," said Cone. "It wasn't my influence that made him start."

"I didn't say anything, so that's really on Scottie that he came and showed right away that he deserved to be a starter," he added.

"It's all about confidence," Cone said of the impact of his Gilas call-up for Thompson.

Having Thompson on board is also crucial for the national team, added Cone. Together with Meralco's Chris Newsome, they give head coach Chot Reyes a pair of big players at the point guard position -- a luxury that Gilas has not always had.

"I thought that was really key for us -- the idea of having him and Chris Newsome as bigger guards, as opposed to what we had in the past with the national team," said Cone.

"We always had smaller guards, and they've always been mismatched, defensively. But Scottie and Chris were able to come out and really dictate our defense. I thought that was the key," he added.

RELATED VIDEO:

Watch more News on iWantTFC