Gilas coach Tim Cone on Justin Brownlee heroics vs Saudi Arabia: 'That's not unusual'

Justin Brownlee’s game-saving performance against Saudi Arabia was nothing out of the ordinary for Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone, who has watched the naturalized forward hit many clutch shots in his career.

Brownlee buried a clutch three-pointer to force a 79-all deadlock in the regulation and eventually drag the Saudis to overtime during their qualification to quarterfinals duel in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup.

He then linked up with the young guns Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, and AJ Edu to close out a 95-88 victory.

But for Cone, Brownlee’s latest magical performance was just another chapter in a story he’s seen unfold many times before.

"It was a special game. It was a special performance by both teams. The home team really came to play and they were phenomenal," Cone said in the post-game press conference.

"They posed a lot of problems for us and by all rights, they had the game won except for the guy sitting to my right who hit the big shots. If you know his history, that’s not unusual. He’s been hitting big shots."

Cone and Brownlee's relationship goes beyond the national team as the two were behind a number of titles for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA, many of which were made possible by the latter's clutch plays.

On the international stage, Cone has witnessed Brownlee work his magic as well, most notably during their historic gold medal run at the 19th Asian Games in 2023, where the naturalized forward showcased his scoring prowess.

In their game against China in the semifinals, Brownlee detonated for 33 points to help the Philippines return to the Asian Games finals again after 33 years. He then led the offense in the finals against Jordan to end the country's 61-year gold medal drought.

"I’m his coach in his club team and when we played the Asian Games, he was hitting big shots so this is nothing foreign to Justin," Cone added.

"Then we came out and played very well in the overtime, really got the groove going, got some momentum. But man, what a special game that was."

For Brownlee, the game was one to remember, as he credited both his teammates and the opposing side for giving fans a special contest.

"I agree with coach, it was a great game. The host team came out and showed great support from the fans and as a player, these are the games you dream about and you really look forward to playing," said Brownlee, who finished with a team-high 29 points. 

"Just gotta give credit to both teams. Luckily, we came away with the win and advanced in this tournament."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News