Naturalized player Justin Brownlee is ready to go and lead Gilas Pilipinas in a homestand in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifier.
Gilas head coach Tim Cone allayed fears that the national team workhorse might not be 100 percent healthy after struggling in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup finals.
“I don’t think anybody has anything to fear about Justin,” Cone said of his Barangay Ginebra resident import.
“He’s ready, he’ll be raring to go. I think he’s gonna put up some real good performances for the country coming up.”
The Kings, especially Brownlee, were shackled by TNT’s stingy defense the whole six games of the championship series as the Tropang Giga successfully defended the crown they won over the same rivals last year.
Brownlee shot 42.86 percent from the field but only had 20 percent shooting from the three-point area as TNT locked down on him in the finals. In the Kings’ Game 5 blowout loss, Brownlee only had eight points.
Cone is not worried about the condition of the 36-year-old forward when the country hosts New Zealand on 21 November and Hong Kong on the 24th at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“I think you’re gonna see a really motivated Justin. He struggled and we all (Ginebra) struggled in this series,” Cone said.
“People started thinking he was having injuries. But it was just a tough and long playoff. Having to go through Meralco and San Miguel and you happen to go against Talk ‘N Text and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. It was a tough road and we kinda limped to the finish line.”
Brownlee was given more than a week of rest before hooking up with Gilas in the five-day training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna starting Friday.