Gilas to Miss Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame in Thailand SEA Games
Gilas Pilipinas will defend the gold in the upcoming 2023 Thailand Southeast Asian Games without two of its most reliable naturalized stars: Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame.
National team coach Norman Black confirmed that SEA Games organizers will strictly enforce a rule preventing naturalized players from competing — a rule that most teams were only informed of recently.
Despite the surprise restriction, Black remains optimistic, saying the team must adjust quickly to
the circumstances and rely on the deepest pool of Filipino talent available.
Brownlee, who helped Gilas reclaim SEA Games gold in 2023, also revealed he is still recovering from a lung infection that sidelined him for more than a month after being accidentally hit by a drone during a PBA event. The three-time PBA Best Import shared he is now feeling better, but not fully game-ready.
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On the bright side, Gilas’ SEA Games lineup under Black features a strong core of Japan B.League standouts, UAAP stars, and seasoned PBA role players — including Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Matthew Wright, Chris Newsome, Thirdy Ravena, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser.
Gilas flies to Guam for their FIBA Asian Qualifier window before returning to Manila
and departing for the Thailand SEA Games.
Despite the absence of Brownlee and Kouame, Gilas remains determined:
Pilipinas will compete. Pilipinas will fight. Pilipinas will represent.
