It was mission accomplished for Gilas Pilipinas in the first window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers. The likes of Justin Brownlee, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, and Chris Newsome showed out and the Philippines won both their games against Guam in convincing fashion. Mixed in with the positive narratives from the games over the weekend was the national team debut of Quentin Millora-Brown. 

The former UP Fighting Maroon finally made his debut for Gilas and it was more or less what was expected. Averages of 7.5 points (on a team-best 70 percent field goal percentage), 9.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks over the two games revealed as much, but Millora-Brown’s value goes beyond the numbers. 

National teams like Gilas Pilipinas don’t have the luxury of time to fully prepare for global competitions and international windows so every rep is all the more meaningful. Millora-Brown wasted no time in stepping into the program once he was classified as a local by FIBA, and his commitment has been evident in his effort during practices and in the games. 

Going forward, though, what should the Philippines expect from Millora-Brown? Double-doubles every game may come in time, but count on the 25-year old to bring his relentless effort whenever he steps on the court. Millora-Brown has shown his reliability not just health-wise, but also when it came to making the right play whenever his team needed it. 

Gilas currently has no shortage of scorers as the likes of Brownlee, Quiambao, and Ramos can put up points and ignite scoring runs. Newsome, Scottie Thompson, and even both Brownlee and Quiambao can move the ball around and create plays for their teammates. That leaves Millora-Brown to work on crashing the boards and making life difficult for the opposing team’s backcourt. Much of this work won’t be seen on the scoreboard but it means a lot especially when Gilas Pilipinas is facing teams with a size and even skill advantage. 

Integrating Millora-Brown this early should help him get familiar with the system of national team head coach Tim Cone while also helping him develop chemistry with his teammates. His timing has also come as the Philippines slowly transitions from the likes of June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar to Kai Sotto and AJ Edu. The latter two, however, have had their share of injuries and so Millora-Brown’s arrival adds much-needed depth. 

An opportunity to play for the national team was once an elusive dream for Quentin Millora-Brown, and now he has fit in well in his tour with Gilas Pilipinas. The expectation is that this is the first of many national team stints, and with each passing game and practice, expect Millora-Brown to get better, much to the benefit of Gilas.