Justin Brownlee joins Gilas training in Estonia

MANILA, Philippines—Justin Brownlee officially joined the Gilas Pilipinas training on Monday evening.

Brownlee, who couldn’t link up with his Gilas teammates earlier after undergoing a “non-basketball medical procedure,” immediately trained with the team in Talinn, Estonia as part of their build-up for the upcoming Fiba World Cup.

Among the players in attendance during training are guards Scottie Thompson and Kiefer Ravena. Big men Poy Erram and AJ Edu were also spotted alongside Brownlee’s long-time Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who is an assistant with the national team.

Gilas Pilipinas assistant coach Tim Cone and Justin Brownlee. –SBP PHOTO

Brownlee made a stellar Gilas Pilipinas debut in February during the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers home game. He then spearheaded the country’s redemption bid in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and won the gold.

Brownlee’s inclusion in the national team’s training does not guarantee his spot just yet but it will be an opportunity for coach Chot Reyes to decide who to field come August.

The squad began their training in Estonia four days ago with June Mar Fajardo, Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, Japeth Aguilar and Jamie Malonzo joining the fray.

Gilas Pilipinas will be playing in a series of friendly games against European teams in Estonia before the team heads to Lithuania.

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