Brownlee out for Gilas in SEAG

Justin Brownlee will not be around when Gilas Pilipinas defends its men’s basketball title in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.

According to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy, the Thai organizers decided to scrap the inclusion of naturalized players in 5x5 events of the biennial meet that will be held at the 5,600-seater Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok from 13 to 19 December.

With that, Brownlee’s inclusion in the final roster has been aborted, dealing a major blow to the country’s bid to win its 20th gold medal.

“As per last meeting with Thailand basketball, there will be no naturalized players in the coming SEA Games,” Dy said in a short message to DAILY TRIBUNE on Sunday morning.

The federation has yet to issue an official statement, but reports floated tht Jamie Malonzo and Geo Chiu have been included in the final roster of head coach Norman Black.

The high-flying Malonzo is currently in town to join Gilas Pilipinas in its preparation for the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers next week while the 6-foot-10 Chiu, the top overall pick in the recent Philippine Basketball Association Annual Rookie Draft, is in the thick of his campaign with the Abra Solid North Weavers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League playoffs.

If plans do not miscarry, they will join the squad composed of Ray Parks, Thirdy Ravena, Remy Martin, Matthew Wright, Jason Brickman, Dave Ildefonso, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, Mike Phillips, Kymani Ladi and VJ Pre in the national squad.

Deploying naturalized players had been a common practice in the biennial meet.

But the rule was exploited when Cambodia hosted the SEA Games two years ago when the host country nearly won the gold medal using a powerhouse unit composed of naturalized players.