Justin Brownlee returns to action for Barangay Ginebra as the darling of the crowd rushes to sharpen up its shaky start in the midseason Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.
The Gin Kings saw enough to replace their previous reinforcement, Charles Garcia, who failed to make good impressions after a wobbly 1-3 won-loss record that placed Barangay Ginebra at the bottom half of the standings.
Her agent, Sheryl Reyes, confirmed the import shake-up which also included Henry Walker who will succeed Jarrid Famous in Blackwater.
The 6-foot-5, well-loved Brownlee played a major role in the Gin Kings’ twin championships in the last two All-Filipino conferences. He also steered Alab Pilipinas to a title in the recent Asean Basketball League.
Barangay Ginebra lost to Phoenix, 103-98, in double-overtime where Garcia finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds. He averaged 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in four games.
Brownlee is expected to play his first game against Meralco on June 1 after the All-Star Weekend.
In his last tour of duty with the Gin Kings, Brownlee led the team to a ring, interestingly against the Bolts in Game Seven of the Governors’ Cup last season.
Paul Lee, meanwhile, stood tall in Magnolia’s back-to-back wins over Columbian Dyip and Meralco on the way to capturing the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award for the period May 14 to 20.
Nicknamed the “Leethal Weapon”, the 29-year-old Magnolia combo guard posted averages of 18.5 points, seven assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal in the Pambansang Manok’s two-win stretch this past week as they head to the PBA All-Star break in high spirits.
Magnolia, which now totes a 3-1 card overall for solo fourth spot, hammered the hapless Columbian side, 126-101 last Wednesday as the “Angas ng Tondo” finished with 17 points, eight assists and two rebounds, while knocking down three triples.
Lee then, upped the ante of his game by banging in 20 points, built around four three-point shots, issued six assists and added three boards as Magnolia nosed out Meralco, 81-79.