Despite going winless in the second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, Justin Brownlee believes Gilas Pilipinas still “won a lot” in terms of experience, learning valuable lessons that could help the team moving forward.
The team opened Window 2 with a narrow 66-69 loss to New Zealand, followed by a heavier 66-93 defeat to Australia.
Still, Brownlee believes the lessons learned from facing New Zealand and Australia will serve Gilas well when they take on the two teams again on the road in the third window.
“Yeah, it was tough,” said the naturalized Filipino, who tallied four points and six rebounds in their loss to the Tall Blacks before bouncing back with 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in their loss to the Boomers. “But I do think it was a really good experience for the guys.
“You know, we did try our best, and we fought hard. We did good too. I think, you know, the two losses, I think we won a lot by learning from the experience.”
Those tough losses, however, have already sent Gilas back to the drawing board, according to head coach Tim Cone.
This comes as the Gilas pool continues to grow with the likes of Quentin Millora-Brown, Mike Phillips, Juan Gómez de Liaño, and Justine Baltazar, with Window 3 set for July, Window 4 in August, and Window 5 in November.
Brownlee, for his part, expressed his support for Cone, saying he trusts the 68-year-old coach — his long-time head coach in Ginebra — and is confident that Cone always knows what’s best for the team.
“Yeah, I agree with him. You know, I think he’s been around the game for so many years, and he’s got so much experience. So, you know, obviously he knows the triangle, but he just knows the basketball field,” said Brownlee as he watched the PVL game between Creamline and Galeries at the Filoil Centre on Tuesday.
“So, you know, as a player, I’ve been trusting him ever since I came here. And I still trust him, you know, as a coach. And, you know, he’s ready for whatever happens.”
What matters most now, Brownlee added, is for the players to take the lessons learned from this window, and use them when they meet both teams again on the road — facing New Zealand on July 3 and Australia on July 6 —in the next window.
“So, I think we’re going to carry that over once we play them again. Also, coming up, I think it’s July or June. And hopefully, even further than that, when we have to cross over and try to qualify.”
#WATCH: I STILL TRUST HIM AS A COACH 🇵🇭
Justin Brownlee still has full confidence in Tim Cone, saying that they will turn things around come #FIBAWC Window 3 🏀#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/BaLwH5pxEg
📹 @jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#LabanPilipinas pic.twitter.com/kNy4VgjacS
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 3, 2026
