Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee puts on another sensational game to help secure the Fiba OQT semifinals ticket. –FIBA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone believes NBA teams missed an opportunity to have “a big moment guy and best teammate ever” in Justin Brownlee as Philippine basketball continues to gain from his storied career.
Brownlee is the biggest key to Gilas moving within just two wins away from entering the Paris Olympics after leading the team with an average of 27.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.5 assists to reach the semifinal of the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga.
Cone isn’t surprised with the stellar showing of his longtime import for Barangay Ginebra but he reminds the world what the NBA is missing out on since the 36-year-old forward went undrafted in 2011.
HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas Pilipinas vs Georgia Fiba OQT July 4
Brownlee only played the G-League with the Maine Red Claws and NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks in 2012 before syiting up for their developmental affiliate, Erie Bayhawks.
“I’ve said this before: Somebody in the NBA missed out on this guy. They weren’t on the ball, they should have seen this guy he never should have been in the Philippines. He should be in the NBA,” said Cone in the press conference of Gilas’ 96-94 loss to Georgia on Thursday to cap the group stage with a 1-1 record.
“He is a big moment guy. He plays huge in big moments. And he has proven it over and over again. What he’s [been] doing in this tournament is no surprise to what we’ve seen throughout his career in the Philippines. He’s dominant there and he’s always engaged. When he’s aggressive, there’s just nobody better than him,” he added.
It wasn’t Cone who just praised Brownlee. Kai Sotto made a bold statement after their shocking 89-80 win over World No.6 Latvia that their naturalized forward is “Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball” while Dwight Ramos tagged him as the best teammate he has ever played with.
READ: Gilas’ Justin Brownlee ‘Michael Jordan of PH basketball’
Brownlee, who willed the Philippines back from 20 points down against Georgia with another near-triple-double performance of 28 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, was grateful to hear those kind words from his teammates.
“Man, I really appreciate the compliment from both guys but I really don’t know how to feel about that. I just try to the [get the] W. and I always [try to be] a really good teammate, try to jell with the guys, try to get guys going and try to play off of the guys as well as try to get them playing off me,” Brownlee said.
Gilas Pilipinas’ Justin Brownlee puts on another sensational game to help secure the Fiba OQT semifinals ticket. –FIBA PHOTO
“Being compared to Michael Jordan of the Philippines. I don’t even know what to say about that but I definitely appreciate the compliment.”
Brownlee, who also delivered the country’s first Asian Games basketball gold in 61 years, said that he is just applying what Cone has been teaching him since he joined Ginebra in 2016.
READ: Gilas win over Latvia puts spotlight on Tim Cone triangle offense
“I would be nothing without [my] teammates. A famous quote that coach Tim tells the Ginebra guys and on the Gilas team is, ‘One is too small of a number to achieve greatness,’” he said. “I just try to go by that and try to get the best out of the team and try to put my best for the team.”
Cone had no shortage of praises for his longtime player, who already delivered six PBA championships out of the 25 the legendary coach has earned.
And Brownlee c0ntinues to deliver for Cone, this time on the international level for Gilas Pilipinas.
Justin Brownlee once again proved to be the deciding factor for 🇵🇭, earning TCL Player Of The Game honors in the process! 🍿#FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/BFzHncT3k6
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 4, 2024
“He’s absolutely the best teammate I’ve ever seen through all my coaching, he’s just a tremendous teammate,” the Gilas coach said. “He has that rare skill that every time he plays and any team he plays, he makes the players around him better, they play at a higher level.”
“I used to think I was really a good coach because I had him all the time and then he goes to another team and still wins everywhere he goes. So obviously it’s not me, it’s really him because he just wins everywhere, any country he goes to, they win championships and it’s amazing because he knows how to make people better around him.”
The coach-player tandem of Cone and Brownlee tries to bring their magic to Gilas, which battles Brazil in the semifinal on Saturday for a chance to enter the final, where the lone ticket to Paris is on the line.