By REYNALD MAGALLON
A month after getting his re-classification to a local on his FIBA status, Quentin Millora-Brown is now expected to suit up for Gilas Pilipinas beginning the first window of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers.
National team head coach Tim Cone confirmed on Friday, Sept. 27 that the 6-foot-10 center is now officially part of the Gilas pool and the team is now beginning to introduce the triangle system to Millora-Brown.
“Yes, we assume he is (playing in November),” said Cone at the sidelines of the PBA Media Day at the Element Eton Centris in Quezon City.
“We’ve been communicating with him. He is working with Patrick (Partosa), our analytics guy, our video guy. We are sending videos back and forth, triangle stuff so that he can get a headstart,” added the veteran coach.
Cone is already seeing Millora-Brown as part of the young core of the team that also features big men Kai Sotto and AJ Edu along with Dwight Ramos, Kevin Quiambao and Carl Tamayo.
Adding the former University of the Philippines standout into the mix also gives Cone the luxury of size in the qualifiers especially with veterans June Mar Fajardo and Japeth Aguilar all still part of the team.
“It is more of an addition at this point. It is like, I hate this term, but add to the pool. We haven’t removed anybody. We are just adding him,” said Cone.
The Nationals are scheduled to open their World Cup qualifiers campaign with a pair of home-and-away games against Guam, which is expected to be led by San Miguel Beer star Jericho Cruz, on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1.
But Cone said the team is in no rush deciding on who to take out of the current lineup to add Millora-Brown as they still have around two months to see and wait for developments particularly on the status of Sotto, who has been recovering from an ACL injury.
“If Kai comes back healthy, obviously he’d be another change to the 12 guys,“ said Cone.
“Those are the decisions we will have to make but we don’t have to make it now. Tthere’s no reason for us to make it now. We’d just add him in and we’ll decide later who the Final 12 will be,” he added.
