Gilas coach Tim Cone believes that his prized ward "should be in the NBA."
For the second straight game in a less than 24-hour time frame, Justin Brownlee delivered the goods for Gilas Pilipinas to tow it to the semifinals in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.
Brownlee produced near triple-double numbers against the world No. 6 host country and 23rd-ranked Georgia, averaging 27 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists, as the Nationals held on to their Olympic dream.
Gilas coach Tim Cone, also Brownlee's mentor in Ginebra, just knows the quality of play of his ward – he is capable of stepping up in the big moments and that he should be strutting his stuff not just in the Philippines, but in the NBA.
Brownlee was unpicked in the 2011 NBA Draft.
"I have said so much about this guy in so many interviews through the last eight years. He’s a big moment guy. He plays huge in big moments and he’s proven that over and over again,” said Cone.
“Somebody in the NBA missed out on this guy. They weren't on the ball. They should’ve seen this guy. He never should’ve been in the Philippines. He should be in the NBA,” he added.
For the uninitiated, Cone went on to describe Brownlee, whose standout performance in the FIBA OQT comes as no surprise to Filipinos who are used to seeing him dominance and aggression.
“What he’s doing here in this tournament is no surprise whatsoever to what we’ve seen throughout his career in the Philippines. He’s dominant there; he executes to a T; he's always engaged. When he’s aggressive, there’s nobody better than him," said Cone.