EVEN with Bennie Boatwright undergoing naturalization, Gilas Pilipinas coach Tim Cone has indicated that Justin Brownlee remains as the first-choice naturalized player for future Fiba competitions.
But Cone said he definitely wants to see Brownlee and Boatwright playing together at some points especially in non-Fiba tournaments.
“I suppose we would do that,” said Cone in a video posted by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on its social media pages.
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Fiba tournaments, including the Olympics, only allow one naturalized player per team, the reason Brownlee was unable to play in last year’s World Cup with Utah Jazz player Jordan Clarkson chosen for that spot.
It’s different in competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games where eligibility rules depend on the host country.
During last year’s Asian Games, an athlete only needs a passport to represent his or her country in the competition, which enabled Gilas Pilipinas to field two naturalized players in Brownlee and Ange Kouame.
“It would be really interesting,” Cone said on the prospects of Brownlee and Boatwright playing together. “Just like everybody dreamed about Justin and Jordan [Clarkson] playing together. Now, we have the next dream of Justin and Bennie playing together.”
The opportunity for Brownlee and Boatwright to play together could come next year during the 2025 Southeast Asian Games to be held in Thailand from December 9 to 20.
The process has begun for Boatwright’s naturalization after Sen. Sonny Angara filed Senate Bill No. 2646 that is seeking Filipino citizenship for the former San Miguel import and University of Southern California product.
The period on when Boatwright will be naturalized is indefinite.
“Bennie is Justin to Jordan. We had Jordan Clarkson, Justin was his back-up. Now, we have Justin and Bennie as the back-up. And Bennie will eventually move to that spot,” said Cone.
'Fits like a glove'
With the abilities of Brownlee and Boatwright, Cone is confident that the two players will co-exist without ease.
“They would fit like a glove, I think, between the two of them,” said Cone.
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