JUSTIN Brownlee said he was willing to play for Gilas Pilipinas again in the Southeast Asian Games, regardless of the conditions.
“I love representing the Philippines,” Brownlee said after winning his first SEA Games gold medal for Team Philippines in the sweltering heat of the men’s basketball venue in Phnom Penh.
“It’s been very special to me and my career. I’m ready to keep representing the flag. Hopefully, it doesn’t get to these conditions. But if it do and it presents itself, at least, we have some experience to deal with it,” said Brownlee.
Brownlee and company had to deal with the heat inside the Morodok Techo Elephant Hall 2 as well as the Southeast Asian nations that are out to capture the regional crown.
After suffering from dehydration and cramps in a horror Gilas debut against Cambodia, Brownlee was back to his old self as shown in the gold medal match where he had 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the win over Cambodia, 80-69.
“I think nung tumagal, mas nasanay na ‘yung mga players. Unlike them, sanay na sila maglaro dito. Tayo nung tumatagal, lalo tayong nasanay,” said Gilas coach Chot Reyes.
“We all know that in the Cambodia game, that wasn’t the real Justin Brownlee. But when we had the real Brownlee, you saw the results… If we had everyone in, we had the team and the game to beat Cambodia,” said Reyes.
Brownlee paid tribute to the staff for putting the extra effort in making sure that the players were ready to play under the horrid conditions inside the Phnom Penh venue.
“It took a collective group to keep the whole team staying cool when you come out in the game because it’s was definitely hot and humid. You just have to give them a lot of credit.”
“They are knowledgeable about certain things to do about keeping them cool, not just putting ice, but rehydrating. We had lemon on the sideline. Salt. A lot of things factored in in keeping their body rehydrated and trying to stay cool in this heat,” said Brownlee.
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