GILAS Pilipinas will head into the 2026 Asian Games with an 11-man lineup for now, while keeping its final roster spot available for naturalized player Justin Brownlee.
Head coach Tim Cone said Thursday that Brownlee has yet to secure medical clearance in the United States, leaving his availability for the tournament uncertain with the Philippines set to open its campaign against Bahrain on Sept. 11.
Brownlee, 38, has been sidelined by hamstring and leg injuries and missed the Philippines’ fourth-window games in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers. He remains in the United States while continuing his recovery.
“We’re still— we haven’t had a confirmation yet from Justin whether he’s going to be here or not. The door is still open for him. He’s still working on clearances from doctors in the States. As soon as that’s all cleared up, we’ll have a clearer picture as well,” Cone said.
The national team is currently in Suwon, South Korea, where it will play two exhibition games against the Korean national squad before proceeding to Nagoya, Japan for the Asian Games.
Cone said the team has no alternative player lined up for the final slot should Brownlee fail to receive clearance.
“But at this point, no. We don’t have a 12th player in mind to come over,” Cone said.
The coach explained that the decision was also influenced by the costs involved in bringing additional players and staff to the tournament.
“There are certain budget restraints in terms of traveling with a lot of different people and terms of hotels and airline tickets and the likes— we’ve kept that 12th spot open for Justin if he can make it,” he added.
The 11 players currently with Gilas are Robert Bolick, RJ Abarrientos, Sedrick Barefield, Adrian Nocum, Don Trollano, Zavier Lucero, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Justin Arana, Justine Baltazar, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Brandon Bates.
Despite having one fewer player than the standard 12-man roster, Cone believes the smaller group can work to the team’s advantage.
“These guys are all willing to play extended minutes. I think 11 is a really good number from a coaching standpoint in terms of not feeling like you have to force some guys who should be out there longer to play less because you want other guys to get satisfied,” Cone said.
“I don’t know if, you know what I mean, but it’s easier from a coaching standpoint having often times less players than it is having more.”
Gilas will begin its Asian Games title defense against Bahrain on Sept. 11, followed by Kazakhstan on Sept. 12 and China on Sept. 14. (Adrian Co)
