The UP Fighting Maroons’ newest recruit has been a good fit for both the team and the school.
There was palpable excitement within the UP community in early July when the men’s basketball team management announced a major recruiting coup.
By now, UP fans have grown accustomed to big recruiting news, but this one was big, both literally and figuratively. Quentin Millora-Brown, a versatile center with legitimate US NCAA Division 1 experience and a major target of several local college programs, was coming to Diliman.
Expectations for him are as high as his six-foot-ten frame, and with good reason. “QMB” suited up for the Rice University Owls, the Vanderbilt Commodores and The Citadel Bulldogs, averaging 6.2 points per game in 155 collegiate games. He most recently averaged 11.2ppg for The Citadel in the Southern Conference.
Because he arrived in the country only two months ago, Millora-Brown skipped the Fighting Maroons’ unbeaten run to a second straight FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup title and was only able to join the team for a two-week training in South Korea. Since then, he has also played in several tune up games and in another tournament in Taiwan where UP went on another unbeaten run.
Millora-Brown had been drawing interest from Philippine-based schools for several years now, and he finally decided to take the plunge for UAAP Season 87. Aside from the basketball part, another factor that drove his decision was to connect to his roots.
“So, my grandfather went to UP for med school,” he told The GAME in an exclusive interview. “And when the opportunity opened up to me, I felt like it was just natural. It was the right choice for me in my next steps in career.”
QMB was already familiar with UP’s UAAP history, dating back to the winless seasons and the recent snapping of a long championship drought.
“They won in, I believe, the COVID season,” he said. “And then, two years, they’ve come second place. And they’re trying to figure out how can they get over the hump and get back to winning again. So, knowing that coming in, this year’s all about winning. So, for me, that’s what I want to do. I just want to win.”
Blending in
There’s always a level of apprehension whenever a player who grew up stateside decides to try his luck here. Not all of them find the integration seamless, and many actually flame out under the weight of expectations.
The truly good ones, though, find a way to stand out. It remains to be seen on which side of the spectrum QMB will fall, but early returns suggest he’ll do fine. Although he admits that the style of play here is different, he doesn’t see any issues.
“You know, definitely, guys want to play a lot faster,” he said. “But I think I fit right in with the guys. Basketball, at the end of the day, we all love it. So, it’s something that all of us identify with. And it’s a common theme for us that we love basketball and why we’re spending our days practicing and learning the game.”
Millora-Brown also believes he’s found a kindred spirit in coach Goldwin Monteverde in terms of how they approach the game.
“Coach Goldwin, he’s very thoughtful. You can tell he’s always thinking about the system, the scheme. And that’s kind of how I identify too. I’m a cerebral type of player. I like to think the game at a high level and play the game at a high level. And I think Coach Goldwin appreciates that and it’s very similar in how he wants to coach.”
This aligns with feedback from one of his teammates. In a previous interview with The GAME, veteran point guard JD Cagulangan said he was impressed with QMB’s intellect. “Yung experience niya doon sa US, sobrang advanced talaga. Even though one week pa lang siya or two weeks sa amin, na-adapt niya na kaagad yung system na gusto namin itakbo sa team.”
Big man in a big campus
Aside from familiarizing himself with the team, Quentin has also had to find his way around the massive 493-hectare campus that is UP Diliman, a daunting task for any new student. But so far, like with the Fighting Maroons, he’s fit right in.
“Oh, it’s been amazing,” he said. Ever since I got here, people have just been coming up and saying hello. Introducing themselves. Super friendly, super nice. Making me feel so welcome and at home.
“The campus itself is beautiful. Just walking around. It’s its own little paradise within a booming city.”
The one thing he hasn’t gotten used to yet is the traffic situation.
“Definitely very different,” he said with a laugh. “It’ll take a little bit of time to just learn how to navigate it and understand it. But, it’s definitely different from the States.”
QMB says he’s formed a bond with fellow debuting big man Gani Stevens. “Gani is definitely up there. He’s one of my guys. He’s one of my neighbors. We’re driving to practice and stuff. It’s been fun.”
Millora-Brown only has one year of eligibility, but he hopes to make the most of it.
“So, after Season 87, I’m hoping to continue my basketball career playing. We’ll see what opportunities open up to me afterwards. But, that’s my current plans right now, to continue my basketball career playing somewhere.”
Before all of that, though, Quentin Millora-Brown hopes to leave a lasting impression in his lone UAAP season. He’ll certainly get a baptism of fire in his very first game on Saturday as The Battle of Katipunan opens Season 87. He admits he’s not familiar with the opposition, but he doesn’t care.
“I just know a little bit, not too much,” he said. “I’m just excited to compete against everybody, honestly. For me, I just love to compete. So, it doesn’t matter who I play. I just want to play.”
Banner Image from Sid Ventura.