Chot torn between Jordan, Justin

MANILA, Philippines — PBA chairman Ricky Vargas has broached the idea of having Justin Brownlee being fielded as a “local” on account of his “residency” and open the possibility of him playing alongside Fil-Am NBA star Jordan Clarkson for Gilas Pilipinas in the coming FIBA World Cup.

But in case the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) thumbs the idea down, Gilas should be ready to pick one for the single naturalized player slot in the World Cup.

Coach Chot Reyes, who insists there are no shoo-ins to the WC team, said they are weighing the pros and cons.

“Obviously, Justin has better chemistry with the locals. He’s played here longer. In terms of being able to do other things, Justin has the slight edge,” Reyes said during yesterday’s Power & Play on One PH.

“However, we haven’t seen Justin’s ability to score against top-flight, tall defensive teams and opposition, which we know Jordan can because he can score 30, 40 in the NBA. We know Jordan can give us buckets and we’ve seen also that Jordan is very comfortable with our defensive schemes. He showed great willingness to play defense, maybe not in the mold of Justin but I think defensively, there’s very little difference,” he added.

If they go with Brownlee, Reyes said this will allow Gilas “to be more versatile because he can play the four spot.”

But with Clarkson, Gilas can get a “different look and dimension” because according to Reyes, he not only plays the two and three spots but he also can be the team’s backup point guard.

Of course, it will be a welcome development if both Clarkson and Brownlee, a resident import in the PBA, and calls the Philippines his second home, can play together. 

Clarkson, though with Filipino lineage, is classified as “naturalized” by the FIBA as he got his passport after the age of 16. Brownlee was recently granted Filipino citizenship after spending the last six years plying his trade in the PBA.

Meanwhile, in an effort to duplicate the fruitful training regimen of the 2014 FIBA World Cup squad, Gilas is eyeing camps in Europe and tuneup matches against quality opponents Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuanian teams.

Reyes said the Nationals will return to the gym by June 7 after a well-deserved rest from their draining gold-reclaiming campaign in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia.  

“First order of business is to resume (training) on June 7 preparatory to (a series of) tuneup games,” Reyes said.

He said the plan is to hold training sessions in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

“We’re going to play in a pocket tournament in Estonia against the Estonian national team and Finland. This will be a very good tuneup for us,” Reyes said.

“From there, we’re hoping to get a stopover in Riga to play Latvia before going to Lithuania,” he added.