By Peter Atencio
JUSTIN Brownlee had a great start when he debuted for Gilas Pilipinas in their winning game against Lebanon.
And he is expected to lead the charge again when the Philippines meets Jordan in its final game in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers sixth window at the Philippine Arena on Monday.
Brownlee, who was recently naturalized, said the Filipino crowd inspired him to do his best when they got back at the Lebanese Cedars in a 107-96 triumph on Friday night.
“The Philippines showed so much love to me and I’m just doing my best to give it back,” said Brownlee, who finished with 17 points on 6-9 shooting, made three three-pointers, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 3 assists, while also getting a steal and two blocks.
His great performance helped the Philippines come up with its highest scoring game so far in the Asian Qualifiers of 107 points, which included 17 three-pointers.
Brownlee, who has been Ginebra’s import since 2016, said he gladly shared his talent in that game.
“Being one of the older guys and one of the leaders, I just felt like it was important right off the jump, we have to be aggressive to have that mentality,” added Brownlee.
This earned the praise of coach Chot Reyes.
“Of all of Justin’s skills, he shoots the ball well, he defends, he penetrates, and he has a lot of technical skills but the one skill that I appreciate is that he is a great teammate,” said Reyes.
The Philippines will play another no-bearing match with Jordan, which had clinched a World Cup spot when New Zealand beat Saudi Arabia, 110-63.
Jordan celebrated New Zealand’s victory with a 98-63 win over India later in the day over at the City Arena in Bangalore, India.
The 35-point victory was considered Jordan’s biggest win in the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. Jordan is on its third World Cup appearance and its second one after after playing against in China in the 2019 edition.
