Justin Brownlee was surprisingly part of Gilas Pilipinas’ practice on Monday evening at the Meralco Gym in Pasig City.
Coach Tim Cone said that he invited his prized import to come over as he expected his pool for the SEA Games to be a man short since Jayson Castro has been ruled out due to a leg injury.
“I asked him because I knew Jayson wouldn’t be here,” said the multi-decorated bench tactician.
Brownlee feels honored to have been able to help out the national team. He declared that “it’s a special moment” for him to be working alongside the PBA’s best, whom he has battled against many times.
“Just helping the best way I can. Coach Tim invited me, and it was an honor just to be invited in practice,” said the three-time PBA champion with Ginebra..
“Being around all these talented guys playing in the PBA, playing against them and now practicing with them, it’s a special moment.”
“It’s a lot of talent and I’m hoping they do really well in the SEA Games and get the gold medal,” he continued.
The 6-foot-4 guard-forward out of St. John’s University also took pride in wearing a Gilas Pilipinas jersey.
“Actually, a couple of people said, they messaged me, ‘Some nice color. I like the color’,” said Brownlee, who has been playing in the Philippines since 2016.
“Hopefully, I can sport that in a real game.”
Brownlee has long been a candidate for naturalization. And should that push through, the 31-year-old from Tifton, Georgia will then have the chance to represent the country.
With that, Brownlee hopes that it could be put on the paper as soon as possible.
“I hope soon, sooner than later. But I’m not sure right now, as far as the naturalization is going. It’s still pending from what I heard. But I’m hoping it’s passed very soon.”
