Justin Brownlee thrilled to be playing in front of home crowd again

At one point in the game against Chinese Taipei, Justin Brownlee and Kai Sotto executed a perfect give-and-go play in the high post that led to an emphatic one-handed dunk for the well-loved Gilas naturalized player.

The moment he received the ball from Sotto with an open lane in front of him, the crowd knew exactly what was about to happen. And as Brownlee took off and completed the slam dunk, the Filipinos in attendance erupted and celebrated like crazy.

That moment was exactly what Brownlee has been missing and longing for while away from his so-called home during his four-month layoff

“I missed it. I missed the fans more than anything. I just missed seeing the smiles and just being able to make them cheer and just seeing their passion for the game,” said Brownlee who made sure to treat the fans with a splendid performance of 26 points and 10 rebounds in the 106-53 win over the Taiwanese.

“They definitely came in with some energy and it made me want to be more aggressive. Just to hear that crowd roar, just to put a smile on their face or make them cheer and be happy,” said the Ginebra resident import.

It was Brownlee’s first game in the country since the Governors’ Cup of PBA’s last season and he was just glad to finally see the fans cheering him once more.

“I haven’t played in front of a Philippines home crowd in a while. It feels great. Unbelievable energy they came in with,” said Brownlee

“You see all the jerseys and the non-stop cheering. It just feels great. It’s been a while. It feels great hearing the cheers and the energy they always bring. Of course, the passion is just unbelievable,” he added.

The 35-year-old was not actually feeling well heading into the contest and following their trip in Hong Kong. But Brownlee said he didn’t want to let down the fans and feed off their energy to power through the contest which was also Gilas’ home court debut in the qualifiers.

“I got to be honest, I was a little down coming here, but coming here and seeing these fans and stuff like that, showing great support, it definitely has cheered me up. I’m on that high again as far as being excited. It just feels great,” he added.