Sports

Justin Brownlee relishes ‘special’ first game for Gilas Pilipinas


Justin Brownlee, Gilas Pilipinas naturalized centre-back, made his Gilas Pilipinas debut brilliantly.  –FIBA BOOTBALL

Justin Brownlee, Gilas Pilipinas naturalized centre-back, made his Gilas Pilipinas debut brilliantly. –FIBA BOOTBALL

BOCAUE, Bulacan – Justin Brownlee made an immediate impact in his first game against Gilas Pilipinas as he led the way in their 107-96 win over Lebanon in the 2023 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifier in Friday at Philippine Arena.

Barangay Ginebra’s resident imports sank three points in a row on his first shot as a naturalized Filipino to give Gilas a 14-8 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first inning. .

“As a player, you always want to go out on the pitch and set the rhythm. Just seeing those two shots play out, I think it put me on a good rhythm, kept me comfortable for the rest of the game,” Brownlee said shortly after. First match in the Asian qualifiers.

But the 34-year-old admitted he was a bit out of rhythm after the first two free throws.

“And then I missed my free throws. That took me a bit off the beat,” he said with a laugh.

But thanks to his teammates, Brownlee quickly regained his form. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, where the Filipinos led 53-41, ahead of Jamie Malonzo, Mason AmosRay Parks Jr. and Jordan Heading continued to maintain momentum to extend Gilas’ winning streak to four matches in qualifying.

“Fortunately everyone played very well. We played together, and someone might have slacked off a bit as the coach said, we depend on each other,” he said. “We picked up that guy, or if it was me, those guys picked me up. So it was lucky, to have a good start and take home during the game.”

Brownlee also had 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 29 minutes and 30 seconds of play.

Three-time PBA Best Import also enjoyed playing in front of 19,829 fans, who cheered for him not as Gin King but as a Gilas player.

“When you take a shot, the crowd goes. The Filipino fans, they really appreciate basketball, and that’s what I really appreciate too,” Brownlee said. “Just made those shots, hot start. The coach told me to be aggressive, and I wanted to help the team get off to a good start.”

The 6-foot-6 winger also made his successful debut with national team coach Chot Reyes.

“As one of the older guys and one of the leaders, I just felt it was important from the start that we needed to be aggressive and we had that mentality,” he said. “The coach put it on the board, so you know, a lot of credit goes to him. But I just want to keep going, and you know, make the fans happy and give them something to cheer for.”

Brownlee had a great time wearing a Gilas jersey for the first time and he is very excited to continue to represent and bring pride to the country.

“It is very special. It has been a great pleasure to be here with Gilas. I’m so lucky and blessed to be part of the team, part of the naturalization process and everything,” Brownlee said. “It is an honor to be able to put the Philippines on the chest and compete for the flag. The Philippines shows a lot of love to me, and I just want to do my best and do whatever I can to try to give it some back.”


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