La Salle's Phillips tips hat to 'contagious' Millora-Brown
MANILA, Philippines — Besides the height and talent of University of the Philippines’ Quentin Millora-Brown, his intangibles on the court also provide a “contagious” type of play for the University of the Philippines, La Salle’s Mike Phillips said.
Phillips and Millora-Brown battled down low in Game 1 of their UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday, December 8, which the Fighting Maroons won, 73-65.
“There [are] no stats for sealing. There [are] no stats for tipping the ball to your teammate. There [are] no stats for helping your teammate up, and he does all those things, and so I think that's just, he has a really contagious style of play, and I think that's one of the most important things,” Phillips told the reporters.
Philips dropped double-double figures with 17 points, 11 boards and five assists, but the Green Archers still came up short in the last quarter.
For his part, the 6-foot-10 Millora-Brown starred for the Fighting Maroons, finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
After the game, Phillips said that Millora-Brown’s value to the team transcends what is being recorded on the statsheet, which makes him much more integral to the squad.
“He’s [Millora-Brown] really a good example of people that hustle. You don't really need talent, but it's just a given that he's talented and he has those things, and so I think hopefully, you know, a lot of people are inspired by him. I hope a lot of people see that he doesn't care about scoring,” he said.
The 6-foot-8 forward/center underscored the importance of team effort for the Archers to nail the equalizer in Wednesday’s Game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“It's not going to be a one-man job, and (there’s no one on UP you can (stop) with a one-man job. We're going to need 16 strong. Even our guys on the bench, who may not see the floor last game, they all help. When we come off the bench, and they're encouraging, we're going to need that, but we're going to need a double, triple, even 10 times it,” Philips said.
“It's really about who wants it more, but I believe it's about who believes in themselves and who believes in each other more, and I mean, I'm just really excited.” — Brent Sagre, intern
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