GILAS Pilipinas will go without naturalized player Justin Brownlee in the crucial fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers after the forward said he is not healthy enough to play for the national squad.
National team coach Tim Cone confirmed that Brownlee will miss the Philippines’ games against Jordan and Iran on August 28 and 30 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“Well, he at this point doesn’t feel like he’s really healthy enough to contribute. And whether that’s really injury or health, he was having some issues,” Cone said in a press conference on Monday.
“Obviously, as we know from the last window, he wasn’t able to play against Australia,” he added.
Cone said the coaching staff had hoped Brownlee’s problems would be resolved in time for the upcoming window, but the naturalized star informed the team that he was not ready.
“We were hoping that those issues would be resolved by the time we played here. But as it turned out, he’s telling us that he’s just not healthy enough,” Cone said.
Cone had earlier indicated that Brownlee was dealing with multiple injury concerns, including ankle and hamstring issues, and was undergoing rehabilitation in San Diego, California.
Without Brownlee, Gilas will field an all-Filipino lineup as it tries to revive its World Cup qualification campaign.
The Philippines will open the window against Jordan on August 28 before facing Iran two days later. Gilas enters the second round with a 2-4 record following four consecutive losses.
Cone acknowledged the urgency facing the national team, saying “the margin of error has really dissipated for us.”
Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, AJ Edu and the rest of the Gilas pool will be tasked with filling the void left by Brownlee as the Philippines fights to keep its hopes of reaching the 2027 FIBA World Cup alive. (Adrian Co)
