Gilas Pilipinas may very well look like the team of old come the second round of the 2027 Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers in August.
On Saturday, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Executive Director Erika Dy expressed confidence that naturalized forward Justin Brownlee will be back in time for Gilas’ next games against Jordan and Iran on August 28 and 30, respectively, at Mall of Asia Arena.
When asked if Brownlee would make his return for Gilas next month, Dy said, ‘definitely.’
‘Hopefully, he gets more rest right now compared to the previous window because they played the finals until the end. It was strenuous, so his hamstring really got strained.’
Brownlee had a forgettable showing in the third window for the Philippines earlier this month.
The 38-year-old Brownlee was held to just five points in a 106-102 double overtime loss to New Zealand on July 3 and missed Gilas’ 92-49 blowout loss to Australia three days later due to leg and knee issues that also forced him to miss Barangay Ginebra’s campaign in the ongoing PBA Governors’ Cup.
Dy said Brownlee could’ve played against the Aussies but was kept out of the lineup for precautionary measures.
‘JB’s JB. We had to rest him in the final game of the previous window because of his hamstring but if we’re being honest he could’ve played,’ she said.
‘It’s not a very bad injury but we were more concerned about his long-term health. We all know that he’s getting up in age so we didn’t want to push him too much. It was coach Tim’s (Cone) decision which I agreed with because we have to think about his long-term health.’