CHICAGO - Short of making it solely his life's purpose, Quentin Millora-Brown was determined to honor his Filipino heritage beyond playing for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the UAAP last year.
Gilas Pilipinas would have been at the apex of that longing.
But life isn't always a fairy tale where all dreams come true. Nothing is perfect in this world, which is why humans have wrinkles and roses have thorns.
READ Quentin Millora-Brown not joining PBA Rookie Draft, says agent
Despite his high hopes, the best efforts of his agent, Tod Seidel, and the prayers of countless Filipino hoops fans, QMB won't play for Gilas anytime soon; a recent FIBA ruling classified him as a naturalized player and not a local.
"Q was devastated because playing for Gilas has always been a dream. We are actively reviewing the decisions and options and I am encouraging him to remain hopeful that his dream can still come true," Seidel told me.
A HUGE LOSS.
As it pertains to personal goals and aspirations, the FIBA ruling hurts QMB, But it is an even greater loss to our national team.
With Kai Sotto still recovering from an ACL tear and June Mar Fajardo presently hopping on one leg in the ongoing Philippine Cup finals, Gilas has no other center with extensive international experience besides AJ Edu and 38-year old Japeth Aguilar.
QMB alone is not the saviour but the 6-foot-10, 245-lb earth mover could have been a huge part of salvation from a potential Gilas bloodbath in the FIBA Asia Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this August.
Not the type to dwell on missed opportunities, QMB has chosen to recalibrate his goals and reshape his basketball perspective. And from those moments of reflection, new paths have been found.
NEW CHAPTER.
From July 20 to 24 he will suit up for the Macau Black Bears in the pocket tournament in China followed by an exhibition game with Gilas on July 28.
After that, QMB will begin his professional career in Europe. With negotiations still in its final stages, he isn't at liberty to divulge the league and the team that he will soon be playing for.
QMB's camp declined to elaborate why he chose to skip the Season 50 PBA Rookie Draft, but it doesn't take a genius to speculate why.
The thought of possibly being picked by Terrafrima or Blackwater and paid only P420,000 a month for the ordeal is miserably unappealing.
There were MPBL suitors, alright, but no negotiations ever took place, debunking rumors that the Vanderbilt grad had asked for as much as P1 million a month to play in the Manny Pacquiao-founded league.
QMB is taking his talents to another part of the globe.
He will star. He will shine. And we will always wish he played for Gilas.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
