ALMOST THUMBS-UP
Gilas Pilipinas manager and Barangay Ginebra team governor Alfrancis Chua said Justin Brownlee is recovering well from his injured hand, which is about the only thing that could keep the prized naturalized ace from playing in the Fiba Asia Cup in August in Saudi Arabia.
In a chat with the Inquirer on the sidelines of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’ (SBP) National Congress, Chua stressed that he doesn’t see any hurdle that will keep Brownlee from suiting up for Gilas again in August.
“The [surgically repaired] finger, that’s the problem,” Chua said even as a doping ban is hanging over Brownlee’s head after testing positive in a game against New Zealand last year. “Justin’s resting now. The operation and everything else were done here. But he’s now in America [recovering].”
Brownlee dislocated his right thumb early in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals opposite TNT. He played through it gallantly before getting surgery.
“We were told that by the first week of July, he can already start shooting,” Chua went on. “It’s really just his hand, so he’ll be able to jog, sprint. Technically, he can do everything else.”
Asked about the possible ban on Brownlee for yet another flunked doping test during the Asia Cup qualifiers, Chua maintained a rosy outlook.
SBP leaders Al Panlilio and Erika Dy were much more careful about the situation as Fiba, the international governing body, has yet to issue an official statement on the issue.
“Unless we hear it officially, what we’re hearing is … there’ll be none,” Panlilio said. “I’m pushing for Erika to ask Fiba to already give us an official statement.”
“We do expect him to play in the Asia Cup,” Dy said of Brownlee, who averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and five assists in the Asia Cup Qualifiers. “I know there were reports of his doping exam last November against New Zealand. We received that report, but just to clarify, there’s no suspension at this point in time.
“[And] we don’t expect any,” Dy, both a coach and a lawyer, went on. “There’s just a lot of delicate details that we cannot discuss because doping is a very delicate matter, a sensitive matter, so it’s very personal to the person that’s why Brownlee and his lawyers are handling it.”
That optimism, which should bode well for the National Five in the continental meet where it battles familiar foes Chinese Taipei and New Zealand, was shared by Chua himself.
“The good thing here is [Justin’s] problem is not his knee,” he said. “We’re confident. We just hope [by that time, he’s completely healed]. But for sure, [his right hand] will be taped.”
