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Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone confirms that Filipino-American big man Quentin Millora-Brown will play in the opening window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers in November
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas beefed up its pool ahead of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers as it acquired the services of Filipino-American big man Quentin Millora-Brown.
Head coach Tim Cone confirmed on Friday, September 26, that the former UP Maroons standout will play in the opening window in November, with the Philippines facing Guam in back-to-back games.
“Now we’ve got QMB, a new addition. He’ll elevate the team,” said Cone during the PBA Media Day.
The 6-foot-10 Millora-Brown secured his local status after being earlier classified by FIBA as a naturalized player, paving the way for his national team entry.
Only 25 years old, Millora-Brown joins a relatively young core that includes 23-year-old Kai Sotto, 24-year-old Kevin Quiambao, 24-year-old Carl Tamayo, 25-year-old AJ Edu, and 27-year-old Dwight Ramos.
“We haven’t seen our best game or our best team together yet. Knock on wood, we don’t run into a bunch of injuries… or have availability issues. We take this next year by storm by having this core all together, having AJ and Kai and Q (Milora-Brown) together,” said Cone.
Although Millora-Brown — who is currently in Japan, according to Cone — has yet to practice with the national team, he has already gotten a “head start” as he learns through videos the triangle system that the Philippine team utilizes.
“I don’t know if he’s actually playing with a team yet or if he’s signed a contract with anybody over there. He’s apparently very excited about playing in November,” said Cone.
Cone said Millora-Brown is the only addition so far, but the veteran mentor welcomed the possibility of retooling the roster for next year.
“The Guam window will be a time where QMB can really try to integrate into the team. Then we’ll look yearend and reassess the team going into the next year and see if there’s any more changes beyond [Millora-Brown] that we might do,” said Cone.
Gilas Pilipinas battles Guam on the road on November 28 then at home on December 1. – Rappler.com
