Newly minted champions Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and RJ Abarrientos headline the Gilas Pilipinas final roster for the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Brownlee Leads Familiar Names in Gilas 12
Fresh off a spectacular PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, Justin Brownlee won’t have much time to either rest or celebrate as he will again be tasked to lead Gilas Pilipinas in the upcoming window. He will have some very familiar names to help him, though.
Brownlee’s Ginebra teammates, Thompson and Abarrientos, are also part of the Gilas 12, with the latter no doubt included to add defensive teeth to the national team’s perimeter defense. The former, meanwhile, will have the chance to showcase his fiery shooting on the international stage once more.
Other familiar names in the Gilas 12 are AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, and Carl Tamayo. Edu, Fajardo, Newsome, Quiambao, Ramos, and Tamayo are all Gilas mainstays and played in the first two windows.
Mike Phillips Headlines New Additions
As previously announced, Mike Phillips will be making his FIBA debut after making it to the Gilas 12 for this third window. Phillips, a two-time champion in the UAAP, was declared eligible to play as a local and has been briefed by FEU Tamaraws coach Sean Chambers about the Gilas system.
Joining Phillips as new additions to this Gilas 12 are Justine Baltazar and Troy Rosario. Baltazar, who plays for the Converge FiberXers, and Rosario, a teammate of JB at Ginebra, will be returning to FIBA-sanctioned competition in this upcoming third window. Phillips, Baltazar, and Rosario will try to fill in the massive holes left by Kai Sotto and Quentin Millora-Brown, who are both out of the Gilas 12. Sotto will reportedly suit up in the NBA Summer League, while QMB is recovering from back surgery.
This Gilas 12 will be going on the road to take on New Zealand and Australia in July.
