Brownlee back for Coms Cup

It’s likely the PBA second conference or Commissioner’s Cup will allow teams to once again bring in imports of up to 6-10 in height as has been the recent practice. Depending on the Board of Governors, the height limit may even be scrapped to make the competition more interesting especially since the EASL team Bay Area Dragons will be competing as a guest entry eligible to vie for the championship. The decision will be made during the Board’s planning session in Boracay this weekend.

One thing’s for sure, Barangay Ginebra will still be bannered by Justin Brownlee who’s officially listed at 6-4 5/8. Brownlee will be at a severe height disadvantage if the opposing imports are 6-10 or over but that’s not an issue with coach Tim Cone. In the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup where the ceiling for reinforcements was 6-10, Brownlee led Ginebra to the championship and took his first of two Best Import awards. Ginebra came back from a 1-2 series deficit to win three in a row over San Miguel Beer for the crown. San Miguel’s import was 6-8 Renaldo Balkman and Christian Standhardinger, now with Ginebra, was in coach Leo Austria’s lineup.

“Justin will be back for the second conference,” declared Cone. And Brownlee gave his thumbs up. Brownlee turned 34 last Saturday and Cone joked that his wish was if only he could stay 34 forever. The other day, Brownlee had lasik surgery to improve his vision and Cone said that means he won’t be missing too many shots in the future.

“I remember scouting Justin in the NBA Summer League and I was impressed by his three-point shooting,” related Cone. “But in his first PBA game, he went 0 of 7 from three and in his next game, he was 1 of 8. Honestly, I looked like an idiot for bringing him in. Then, he got going.” It didn’t take long before Cone looked more of a genius than an idiot. Brownlee was actually a replacement for Paul Harris in the 2016 Governors Cup. Harris went down with a fractured finger in his first game. Since his PBA debut, Brownlee has played in eight conferences and won five championships. He’s in the import record books as the most prolific three-point bomber ever and No. 5 in the all-time scoring ladder.

In an ultimate comparison, Cone said Brownlee is like Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler. “There’s a lot of things Jimmy does that remind me of Justin and the other way around,” he said. “I’m in touch with Spo (Miami coach Erik Spoelstra) and texted him after the Heat went up 3-1 in the playoffs against Atlanta. I think common friends told him we just won the PBA title. He’s in the middle of the playoffs (Miami just advanced to the second round) so it’s not like we’re talking much on the phone. I know he’s excited to come over in 2023 for the FIBA World Cup as US coach Steve Kerr’s first assistant. I’m sure he’ll want to visit his hometown in San Pablo and meet up with family. I›m hoping Miami wins the NBA title this year. I thought Phoenix would win it until Devin Booker got hurt and now, it looks like the Boston Celtics, a team I don’t cheer for, might go all the way.”