QMB cushions Kai’s absence as Gilas set for NZ duel
It was made clear that Quentin Millora-Brown wanted badly to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas.
The 6-foot-10 center is making it obvious how badly he wants to win, too.
“I think, for me, I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with the system, and the way that we want to play. Last window, obviously, [I was] still new, still trying to figure it all out,” he said.
“This window, I feel a lot more confident in how I would fit in and how I’m going to play. Just the size [alone] is different, right? That’s the one thing I bring that you just can’t train, you can’t train size.”
You can’t replace size either, but with Kai Sotto unavailable for this current window of the Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers, the luxury of having Millora-Brown cannot be overstated.
He averaged 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in two outings against Guam in the first window, and the size, mobility and high basketball IQ he brings to the squad would be even more valuable as the Philippines battles two exponentially tougher foes minus the talented 7-foot-3 Sotto.
Joining Millora-Brown in the final roster released by the Samahang ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Wednesday are Justin Brownlee, June Mar Fajardo, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Scottie Thompson, Chris Newsome, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo.
Already, Millora-Brown has brushed up on what Gilas will have to deal with when they open against the Tall Blacks at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday.
“They’re going to be pressing, they’re going to be up on the rebounds,” he said. “We have to make sure we don’t turn the ball over because that’s what they want to do.”
“They want to speed us up and get us out of our rhythm. Those two things, I think, are vital for us to come out with a win.”
The Philippines, New Zealand and Guam are bracketed in Group A of the Asian Qualifiers—a veritable “Group of Death” that includes top-rated heavyweight Australia.
Gilas Pilipinas owns one historic victory over the Tall Blacks, a 93-89 win where Sotto featured prominently.
Without the team’s anchor in the middle, the Filipinos will have to deal with some size problems that Millora-Brown, a UAAP champion with the University of the Philippines, will hope to solve.
But as big as the responsibility is on his shoulder, he plans to show up for the match with as little pressure as possible.
“[We] have to make sure none of us have too much pressure on ourselves, right? When you play tight, you don’t have fun, you don’t play well then you make a mistake. It can happen,” he said.
