Cone happy to see Brownlee back in action for Gilas

Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone said he was happy to see naturalized player Justin Brownlee back in action for the national men's basketball team.

Brownlee posted 16 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals as Gilas took down Hong Kong, 94-64, on Thursday in their campaign opener in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.

While Cone admitted that Brownlee was somehow struggling early in the game, he was patient for him to find his groove.

"He really struggled in the beginning of the game. You can tell he had a little bit of rust. He hasn't played a game in like four months so he had a lot of rust to brush off," Cone said in a press conference.

Brownlee underwent a three-month provisional suspension following a failed drug test after the country won the Asian Games gold medal.

"That's why we continued to play him in the fourth quarter. I turned to the bench and told them we're going to keep Justin in there so he could continue to get his rhythm. It was great to see him in the second half get his rhythm and be the Justin that we know," said Cone.

"He's the lifeblood of this team so we're happy that he's back and we think he'll play better against Taiwan and as we go forward. He has that history, he has that pedigree already."

Brownlee and the rest of the Gilas squad will play in front of the home crowd on Sunday as they face Chinese Taipei to cap the first window of the qualifiers.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News