Brownlee savors role as Gilas spark plug vs Lebanon
BOCAUE, Bulacan — Justin Brownlee immediately made his presence felt in his first-ever game for Gilas Pilipinas, providing the early buckets for the Philippines in their 107-96 victory over Lebanon in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the Philippine Arena here on Friday.
Newly naturalized, Brownlee scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half, including a pair of back-to-back threes as his first points as national team player.
The Ginebra import raved about performing his best — this time with Pilipinas splayed across his chest.
"Yeah, you know, when you make a shot, the crowd gets going. The Filipino fans, they really appreciate basketball, and that's what I really appreciate as well, too," Brownlee said after the game.
From the get-go, fans inside the Philippine Arena made Brownlee feel the love as noticeable cheers were heard when he was introduced before tip off.
And when he got things going with the long ball, the arena rocked.
At times, you would even hear the classic chants of "Gi-ne-bra!" ring throughout the dome.
"Just making those shots, starting off hot, I just really … Coach told me to be aggressive, and I wanted to get the team off to a good start," he said.
Brownlee's early offense paved the way for the rest of the Gilas guys, who also saw big performances from the likes of Jamie Malonzo and the debuting Mason Amos.
As one of the expected stars in the team, Brownlee was just glad he was able to do his part.
"You know, being one of the older guys and one of the leaders, I just felt like it was important right off the jump, we be aggressive, and we have that mentality," said Brownlee.
"Coach [Chot] put it on the board, so you know, a lot of credit to him. But I just wanna continue being aggressive, and you know, making the fans happy and giving them something to cheer about," he added.
Brownlee hopes to keep things going should he make it to the Final 12 for Gilas Pilipinas when they face Jordan on Monday, February 27.
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