Gilas Pilipinas is still in the dark as to whether Justin Brownlee will be playing in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. But should he be unavailable, the team will likely go with an 11‑man roster for its Asiad gold defense.
Those 11 players are Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar, RJ Abarrientos, Robert Bolick, Adrian Nocum, Don Trollano, Brandon Bates, Brandon Ganuelas‑Rosser, Sedrick Barefield, Jerrick Ahanmisi, and Zavier Lucero. They are, as of this writing, in South Korea for a couple of tune‑up games ahead of the Asian Games. Brownlee, on the other hand, is still back in the US and awaiting clearances from his doctors.
“We haven’t had any confirmation yet on Justin on whether he’s going to be here or not, but the door is still open for him. He’s still working on his clearances from his doctors in the States. As soon as that is cleared out, we will have a clearer picture as well,” said Gilas head coach Tim Cone in a Zoom presser on Thursday.
Gilas Could Go With 11 Players, and It’s Fine for Cone
For Cone, going with an 11‑man lineup won’t be much of a problem. In fact, it could end up working in favor of those who will be suiting up, as it would mean more minutes, explained the veteran tactician.
“I think 11 is a really good number from a coach’s standpoint. Not feeling like you have to force other guys to play there just because you have less. The other guys get satisfied, I don’t know… but it’s easier from a coach’s standpoint,” said Cone, who has already delegated most of the coaching duties to Richard Del Rosario and Jong Uichico but remains involved with the team.
Four players, in particular, who could benefit from Brownlee’s potential absence are Trollano, Barefield, Lucero, and Baltazar. The 6‑foot‑3 Trollano and the 6‑foot‑2 Barefield are likely to get most of the minutes at the 3, which is JB’s usual position. Baltazar and Lucero, on the other hand, figure to share most of the minutes at 4, where Brownlee plays in small‑ball lineups under Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas’ Asian Games Schedule
Gilas’ title defense officially starts on September 11 against Bahrain, followed by Kazakhstan on September 12, and then China on September 14. The Philippines, Kazakhstan, China, and Bahrain make up Group C. The other teams are Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia in Group A, while Iran, Jordan, Chinese Taipei, and Qatar comprise Group B.
