Gilas ready for Asian Games defense with 11 players if Brownlee stays sidelined

HERO. Justin Brownlee in action for Gilas Pilipinas against China in the 19th Asian Games.

PSC-POC Media Pool

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone says Justin Brownlee, the hero of the 2023 championship squad, has yet to confirm his participation for the upcoming Asian Games

AT A GLANCE

• Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone confirmed that the team may only field 11 players in the Asian Games due to the uncertain availability of naturalized player Justin Brownlee, who is dealing with injuries.
• The team has reserved the final roster spot for Brownlee, who has not yet confirmed his participation while working on medical clearances.
• Despite the potential lack of a full roster, Cone believes that having fewer players can be beneficial for coaching, as it allows for extended playing time for those available.

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MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone confirmed the possibility of fielding only 11 players in the Asian Games as the availability of naturalized star Justin Brownlee remains uncertain. 

Cone and his coaching staff have reserved the 12th and final roster spot for Brownlee, the hero of the 2023 squad that ended the country’s 61-year wait for a men’s basketball gold medal in the Asian Games.

Brownlee, however, has been hampered by injuries that kept him out of the Philippines’ last three games in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, sitting out a blowout loss to Australia in the third window in July and then missing home wins over Jordan and Iran in the fourth window in August.

“We haven’t had a confirmation yet from Justin whether he’s going to be here or not. The door is still open for him,” Cone told reporters in an online press conference on Thursday, September 3. 

“He’s still working on clearances from doctors in the States. So as soon as that’s all cleared up, we’ll have a clearer picture as well. But at this point, no, we don’t have a 12th player in mind to come over.” 

Gilas Pilipinas’ Asian Games lineup features a mix of new faces and returning players, with Robert Bolick, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Don Trollano making their national team comeback, and Sedrick Barefield, Adrian Nocum, Zavier Lucero, Brandon Bates, and Jerrick Ahanmisi debuting for the squad. 

They will be joined by RJ Abarrientos, Justine Baltazar, and Justin Arana — the only holdovers from the Asian Qualifiers crew.

Cone sees no problem with having only 11 players on the roster, noting that the national team thrived under similar circumstances when it reached the semifinals of the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Latvia.

If anything, Cone feels that coaching fewer players gives him less to worry about.

“We didn’t miss a beat there,” Cone said of the OQT, where the team lost Scottie Thompson just before the start of the tournament. “And I think we’ll be fine. These guys are all willing to play extended minutes.” 

“And I think 11 is a really good number from a coaching standpoint in terms of not feeling like you have to force some guys who should be out there longer to play less because you want other guys to play.”

“It’s easier from a coaching standpoint, having oftentimes less players than having more.” 

Gilas Pilipinas is currently in South Korea for a pair of tuneup games against its national team before it flies to Japan for the Asian Games, where the men’s basketball tournament will be held from September 10 to 20.

Bunched in Group C, the Philippines will face China, Bahrain, and Kazakhstan. – Rappler.com