One-and-done wonder for the UP Fighting Maroons Quentin Millora-Brown has caught the attention of Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone.
It is now up to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) if UAAP champion Quentin Millora-Brown will be able to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas, as head coach Tim Cone already aired out his sentiments on the 6-foot-10 big man.
After a tough stretch for the Nationals owing to an injury to star center Kai Sotto, Cone acknowledged the need for other big men in the Gilas pool, which Millora-Brown would be able to address. However, coach Tim underscored that the decision remains in the court of the SBP and DFA.
[READ: Tim Cone deems back-to-back Gilas losses as personal learning experience — ‘That’s on me’]
Millora-Brown is Filipino-American, and it has yet to be determined if he will be eligible to play for the national team as a local or not.
If he’s eligible for Gilas Pilipinas, Cone believes it’s a no-brainer move.
“Yeah, I would love to have a 6'10'' young player coming to the pool, but it's all about the eligibility, that's still part of it. That’s not in my control but SBP and the DFA on whether he is going to be eligible,” Cone told News5’s Nina Ongpauco.
“Also FIBA has to decide that as well. If he is eligible, of course we will pick him up.”
Millora-Brown was pivotal in UP’s run to the men’s basketball title in UAAP Season 87, even sealing the Game 3 win over the DLSU Green Archers with a pair of free throws in the clutch.
Having been on the down-low since winning the chip in December, Millora-Brown said that he’s open to all opportunities, including Gilas, when they present themselves to him.
[RELATED: UP’s Quentin Millora-Brown open to Gilas opportunity, entertains possibility of PBA stint]
And after a big blow with Sotto’s injury, Cone believes that the rest of the team — and a new player like Millora-Brown — will be the only way that the team can make up for his absence, especially with the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 coming later this year.
“It was a tough loss... Kai means a lot to us, he changes the way we play. Just like [when] you’re in the PBA, and you lost your superstar player for a year, you really have to make adjustments on the team,” said Cone.
“I think the only way we [replace] Kai is just to get contributions throughout the whole lineup… If we are going to lose Kai for one year, we kind of have a down year. That’s something we will have to face but we will continually try to get the team picked up and playing at high level again. We just didn't meet our expectations this time.”
Gilas Pilipinas are currently reeling from a winless outing in the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers where they lost ot Chinese Taipei and New Zealand.