Two years after Justin Brownlee made his Ginebra debut, there was a movement that tried to make him a naturalized Filipino.
During that same time, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas was trying to make a push of having an “army of naturalized players” just like what Japan is doing.
Yes, there was a bill that was filed during that time but no, it did not come to light.
Fast forward to February of 2022.
Tab Baldwin was removed from Gilas by the SBP and Chot Reyes was brought back at the helm.
Then came a string of defeats for Gilas — blowouts at the hands of the Tall Blacks, a silver finish in the Southeast Asian Games, a bad finish in the Asia Cup, and a stinging defeat to the Cedars despite having Jordan Clarkson.
“I think when I reflect, I always believe that everything happens for a reason and that all challenges that we went through very early when I was told to come back to coach the national team, all of the failures and frustrations that we had in the past, the reason for that was for the country to come together,” reflected Gilas head coach Chot Reyes.
In one swoop, Congress came into action.
In less than three months, they were able to put Brownlee’s naturalization into law.
And for Reyes, everything he and the program went through was all worth it just for this.
“We are grateful to the senate, the PBA, and all of the stakeholders for coming together and getting Justin’s papers done. Maybe, that was the reason for the heartaches that we had to endure in the past,” he continued.
“Finally, everyone came together and said that we have to get this done and get his papers done.”
Brownlee, of course, delivered in his debut, leading Gilas to a 107-96 victory over the Cedars with him producing 17 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Though it was just one win, Reyes sees this as a huge step forward as the World Cup closes in.
“Hopefully, we will continue to move forward. We will not win every game but we want to see constant improvements in how the team plays.”
