Justin Brownlee couldn’t contain his excitement as he powers Gilas Pilipinas in the 33rd FIBA Asia Cup that got underway last night at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

Brownlee said he is always thrilled to represent the country, especially in an elite tournament like the Asia Cup, where the continent’s best national squads are fighting for pride and glory.

It’s going to be Brownlee’s first time to play in the prestigious continental showpiece. His first tournament since completing his naturalization process in 2023 was the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia followed by the 19th Asian Games in China, where he led the Filipinos to the title.

Then, he suited up for Gilas in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, sweeping the first two windows before going winless against Chinese Taipei and New Zealand in the third and final window after 7-foot-3 slotman Kai Sotto crashed with a knee injury.

Brownlee likes their chances in the tournament that no Filipino squad had ever won since 1985.

“I think we’ve got good chances of coming out of our group,” Brownlee told Carlo Pamintuan of ONE Sports ahead of their first game against Chinese Taipei on Tuesday.

“Of course, we want to get to the No. 1 spot, but we do have some tough teams ahead of us to get to that spot but I like our chances,”

Compared to other naturalized players like Jordan Clarkson and Ange Kouame, the 37-year-old Brownlee brings veteran leadership and experience to the national squad.

His brilliance was proven when he stepped up in the crucial stretch of their semifinal game against China, towing the Filipinos to a heart-stopping 77-76 victory that boosted their momentum en route to winning their first Asian Games title in 60 years.

Brownlee said he is willing to reassert his leadership to propel Gilas back to the Asian throne.

“Some guys are maybe 10 plus years younger than I am and it feels good that they see me as a leader. I just want to help as much as I can,” said Brownlee, who is setting a very good example to young teammates like Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao and AJ Edu.

“These young guys, they’ve got a bright future, a ton of potential on and off the court. I just try to help the best way I can.”

Still, the battle will not be easy. Winning the Asian Games put a giant target on the Filipinos’ backs, pushing them to work even harder until they win the title that has eluded them for the past 40 years.

“There’s a lot of great teams in Asia, but we feel like the way basketball is growing in the Philippines, we can compete and even beat some of the teams here,” he said.

“We just want to keep that confidence and always focus on getting better and playing with that Pinoy pride that we always come out to play with.”