Key injury, looming retirement reveal character of Gilas Pilipinas

Carl Tamayo (No. 33) and Kevin Quiambao (second from left) are two young mainstayswho represent the future of the national team. —FIBA PHOTO

June Mar Fajardo is closing in on the end of his stint with the national team. Justin Brownlee is nowhere near good enough shape to reinforce Gilas Pilipinas.

When the Philippines opens up its bid in the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Friday, it will look very much like a team in transition.

Fortunately, the members of the pool recognize that and are willing to step up.

With Chris Newsome being ready to don the mantle of leadership and young standouts ready to fill in for their absent teammate, Gilas Pilipinas is eager to prove its worth via two crucial home games against dangerous foes Jordan and Iran.

“This team is different. There’s a lot of talent in this team,” said young forward Carl Tamayo. “We have to stick to our roles to help the team win the next two games. It’s going to be crucial for us, especially for KQ (Kevin Quiambao), now that Justin is not here.”

Cone had said that it was highly doubtful that Brownlee could still suit up for the current window as he is dealing with knee and ankle injuries.

The national team could also see the final outings of Fajardo, who confirmed plans of possibly retiring after the fourth window of the qualifiers.

“I’m old,” Fajardo said.

The 36-year-old center, a nine-time PBA MVP, was supposed to have called it a career after the third window, even giving an impassioned speech to teammates. But he was prevailed upon to deliver an encore for flag and country.

If Fajardo decides that Friday’s game against Jordan and Sunday’s matchup with Iran are his last, playing in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is no longer an option.

For him, it’s time to give the next generation a chance to create new memories and new accomplishments for Philippine basketball.

“There are a lot of available players for the Asian Games, so I would rather give my spot to one of them so they can experience what it’s like to play for the national team,” he said.

For 13 years, Fajardo has been one of the fixtures of Gilas amid multiple coaching changes, milestones, painful defeats and even controversy—from a memorable run to the finals of the 2013 Fiba Asia Championship to three World Cup stints in 2014, 2019 and 2023 to even the infamous brawl with Australia in 2018.

His presence was both celebrated and polarizing.

Some recalled his best games against Senegal in the 2014 World Cup, Chinese-Taipei in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2018 and teaming up with Kai Sotto in stunning Latvia in the 2014 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Others felt that Fajardo could not translate his PBA dominance with San Miguel Beer into the international arena.

Whether it is in leadership or in scoring, however, the national program looks deep enough to plug holes.

Kai Sotto, who is set to see action for the first time in a Gilas uniform since 2024, AJ Edu and Justine Baltazar represent a new breed of big men who can take Fajardo’s court time. Newsome, meanwhile, has said he is ready to fill in whatever leadership vacuum Fajardo’s retirement may create (See related story on this page).

“There are a lot of younger guys who have the potential to be included on the national team for a long time,” he said.

Tamayo believes as much, saying the team must come together to replace the scoring punch that Gilas will miss in Brownlee’s absence.

“I think it really is a challenge for us because we all know how big of a part JB plays in our national team and coach Tim’s (Cone) system,” said Tamayo.

“That’s the challenge in front of us so everyone needs to help out. We need to work together to fill that space for this window and we’ve been practicing hard. Hopefully, we get the two wins so we have a bigger chance to play in the World Cup.”

Gilas will sorely miss the longtime Ginebra reinforcement who averaged 14.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in five games in the qualifiers.

“I don’t think we can do what Justin is doing. No one in our team can be like Justin but we’ll do whatever we can to help our country,” Tamayo added. INQ