Justin Brownlee was still all smiles even after the championship revelries had died down at Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
But his face lit up even more as soon as he pieced together what was about to come.
“Man, who do we got, Lebanon and Jordan?” he checked with the Inquirer when asked about his upcoming stint with Gilas Pilipinas, which, barring any complications, he will be serving as a naturalized player for the first time.
“We’re playing here, too, right? Woah. This [game] is a good warmup for the fans!” he went on as he shook his head while dressing up inside the team’s locker room.
Brownlee, the adored Barangay Ginebra import who on Monday took his oath of allegiance to the Philippine flag, is expected to be showered with even more love as he is a shoo-in for the national squad that will see action in a two-game home stand for the sixth and final window of the Fiba (International Basketball Federation) World Cup Asian qualifiers.
He expressed excitement at the chance of representing the Philippines despite knowing that, in all likelihood, he will be left out of the final roster for the main event with Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association to be Gilas’ naturalized player.
“That’s what we love about him,” Gilas coach Chot Reyes had said in a much earlier interview about Brownlee. “He has no pretentions. He would just love to play for the country.”
Brownlee is actually the third naturalized player available for the Gilas program after Clarkson and Ange Kouame, the Ateneo center in the UAAP who will have a medical procedure to correct a knee injury.
According to the tireless Brownlee, the series against the visiting Bay Area Dragons should also be a great boost for the national cage program that will host a vengeful Falcons crew and a red-hot Cedars side, with three Ginebra teammates looming large for spots on the February team.
“For the upcoming February windows, I think this [championship series] is great for the guys. We have been playing international players [so we really] could take this experience,” he said.
“Scottie [Thompson], Japeth [Aguilar], Jamie [Malonzo], myself—we could take this experience into [those games] and [farther] in the international level as well.
The Philippines, which totes a 5-3 record in the qualifying series which it need not win but one which the cage leaders are using to prepare for the August global showcase, takes on Lebanon on Feb. 24, and then Jordan days later.
Getting dressed right beside his son Justin Jr., the elder Brownlee knows that the first few moments donning Gilas’ blue-red-and white will be emotional.
And this early, he’s trying to brace for it already.
“Playing for Gilas is gonna be very special. I will try for my heart not to cry,” he said. “But I’ve been waiting for this moment the whole time. Just going out there and you know, just wanna make the fans happy? The Filipino fans, they’re the best in the world. I’m going to go out there and play hard and give that ‘NSD’ (never say die) attitude like I play for Ginebra.
“Hopefully, I can just make the Philippines even prouder,” Brownlee added. INQ
