Gilas’ Justin Brownlee savors first Fiba OQT experience

Gilas Pilipinas forward Justin Brownlee during a game against Brazil in the Fiba OQT semifinal in Riga, Latvia.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas may not have punched its ticket to the Paris Olympics after bowing out of the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinal at the hands of Brazil but Justin Brownlee still took something positive at the end of their campaign.

After all, the experience allowed Brownlee to test his mettle against some of the world’s best teams in his first time playing in the OQT. And that alone was a reason for the naturalized forward to be proud of.

“I haven’t had too many opportunities like this. This is actually my first opportunity as far as playing in the Olympic Qualifiers. As a team, we’re going to just take these experiences and just try to move forward and get better,” Brownlee said in an interview with BasketNews.

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“Coming in and playing in hostile environments, playing against Latvia, was a great experience with their crowd and how they are supporting their team.”

Facing a tall order heading into the qualifiers, Gilas–led by Brownlee–came just two wins short of fulfilling its Olympic dream after losing to Brazil, 71-60, at Arena Riga in Latvia Saturday night (Manila time).

Brownlee tallied 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block to lead Gilas against Brazil, which had to overcome an early double-digit deficit.

The 36-year-old Brownlee ended his OQT stint as the leading scorer in Group A, averaging 23 points, 8.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists. His best game came against world No. 6 Latvia, powering Gilas’ impressive 89-80 victory with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

READ: NBA teams that passed up on Brownlee have given PH valuable gift

But as Gilas’ naturalized player, Brownlee couldn’t avoid being compared to Jordan Clarkson, who played the same role as the longtime Ginebra import back by reinforcing the Philippine team in the Fiba World Cup in Manila.

The comparisons to the NBA star, however, don’t seem to bother Brownlee.

“I just try to play my game,” said a confident Brownlee.

“Clarkson is an incredible player; he’s killing [it] in the NBA. I’ve been a fan of him. I’ve seen him in the World Cup games. He’s an incredible player, but me myself, I just try to play my game and try to do the best I can.”