Returning imports struggle in their first few games — just ask coach Tim Cone
Justin Brownlee’s return to Ginebra did not start off well last Saturday. Limited to just 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting to go along with four rebounds, the 6-foot-7 reinforcement played just 29 minutes in the Gin Kings’ 91-94 loss to the Phoenix Fuel Masters in Davao.
And he and his team’s struggles carried over to the first two quarter of Ginebra’s game against the Globalport Batang Pier, Wednesday evening.
“We had a hard time getting our rhythm together to start the game. We haven’t been able to find a good rhythm. Even Justin has been struggling to find his rhythm,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone admitted.
During the first 24 minutes of the game, the 28-year-old went just 2-for-9 from the field, while Ginebra were down by as much as 13 points.
“We finally got it there somewhere in the third quarter, we started playing with a little bit more rhythm and activity level. Activity level has really been the key. We just have not been active over these last two games until that third quarter,” Cone added.
The spark Ginebra that needed came from Brownlee himself as he carried his team on his back, scoring 20 points during the third frame — including 11 points in a game-breaking 16-1 run. That Ginebra blitz led to a 113-96 win, their breakthrough win for the conference.
Brownlee, who had cramped up in Davao, made key preparations prior to this game to help him get acclimated quickly to the Philippine weather.
“Yeah. The trainers, coach Tim, boss Al, [Chua] they did a lot of great things having me more prepared. Last year and last game, I was having trouble with the heat, just sweating a lot,” the one-time PBA champion import shared.
“But I got an IV last night, so I think that helped out a lot. It’s cooler here than Davao.”
The native of Tifton, Georgia finished the game with 29 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and three blocks. For Brownlee, he could not have done this without the pep talk that his mentor and his teammates had given him during the halftime break.
“I thank my teammates and coaches, they really did a good job picking me up.
“Coach Tim reminded me of the details and fundamentals. Normally, we don’t play against bigger teams, but now, they have bigger imports, so we got to be good on our fundamentals, and coach, he preaches that to us at practice and before the game,” he disclosed.
Cone, who has mentored numerous all-time great imports, believes that it will be only a matter of time before Brownlee finds his lethal form — the Brownlee that averaged 30.4 points per game during the Governors Cup — again.
“We really believe in Justin. We really believe that it’s just a matter of time before he figures it out again, figures out the level of play he has to get to for us to be successful.
“I think returning imports always take a little bit of time to figure out and remember how hard they have to play in this league for them to be successful. I had that with Marqus Blakely, I had that with Denzel Bowles, and all the way down the line to guys like Kevin Davis. It’s typical of imports coming back,” the 19-time PBA champion coach said. “They take things for granted for a while, but the good ones, the guys with high character, they figure it out and they start getting back to where they once where.
“So it’s good to see Justin breakout a little bit and hit some shots.”
