GLAD to know that the right thumb of our naturalized ace, Justin Brownlee, is healing well following a surgery.
“Justin is resting now,” Gilas Pilipinas manager and Barangay Ginebra team governor Alfrancis Chua told Inquirer’s Denison Rey A. Dalupang during a break of the recent Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) National Congress. “The operation and everything else were done here. But he’s now in America recovering.”
It was Brownlee’s injured thumb that essentially derailed Ginebra’s title dreams in the recently ended Governors’ Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) won by TNT Tropang Giga.
Despite playing wounded, Brownlee made a good accounting of himself, and only the sheer weight of excruciating pain really did him in in the end against TNT.
“We were told that by the first week of July, he can already start shooting,” Chua told Dalupang. “It’s just really his hand, so he’ll be able to jog, sprint. Technically, he can do everything else.”
In short, hopefully by July, Brownlee can perform anything required of him to play basketball 100 percent again — and be ready to anchor the country’s bid in the Fiba (World Basketball Federation) Asia Cup set in Saudi Arabia in August.
But then, there’s a looming obstacle other than the thumb: It’s the possible ban on Brownlee after another failed doping test during an Asia Cup game against New Zealand last year.
Recall that Brownlee had also tested positive during the last 2023 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, where he powered Gilas to the championship, ending the country’s 61-year title drought in Asiad basketball.
Brownlee received a months-long suspension for his indiscretion.
At the moment, the Fiba has yet to issue a ruling on Brownlee.
“Unless we hear it officially, what we’re hearing is, there will be none,” said SBP chief Al Panlilio.
Erika Dy, the SBP secretary-general who is a lawyer, said: “We do expect him to play in the Asia Cup. We received reports of his doping exam last November. But just to clarify, there’s no suspension at this point in time…and we don’t expect any.”
Said Chua: “We are confident…and the good thing here is, Justin’s problem is not his knee.”
That’s definitely a clincher, Sir.
And thanks for the reminder: To every athlete, the knee is everything.