Gilas Pilipinas is literally getting a big boost for its FIBA campaign with the addition of Quentin Millora-Brown.
QMB is finally on board.
On Wednesday night, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced a 16-man pool for the first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, where Gilas Pilipinas will face Guam in back-to-back games on November 28 and December 1. The biggest addition — both literally and figuratively — is undoubtedly Quentin Millora-Brown, the former UP Fighting Maroons center who stands an imposing six-foot-ten.
Following an extensive campaign by his lawyers, FIBA formally reclassified QMB as a local last August, paving the way for him to make it to the Gilas lineup without bumping off Justin Brownlee.
Gilas coach Tim Cone has always said that QMB would be a welcome addition to the pool, especially with the current frontline either getting up there in years or recovering from injury.
For the record, aside from QMB, the frontline rotation of the 16-man pool includes Japeth Aguilar, AJ Edu, June Mar Fajardo, naturalized player Ange Kouame, Kai Sotto, and Carl Tamayo. It’s still not certain if Sotto will be available already for the first window, while Kouame is still the backup to resident naturalized player Justin Brownlee.
The line-up
That leaves just Aguilar, Edu, Fajardo, and Tamayo as the sure big men.
Gilas actually did well off the boards in the recent FIBA Asia Cup 2025, finishing second overall among 16 teams with 42.4 rebounds per game. Only eventually, champions Australia had more RPG with 48.0. But it was also clear that Tim Cone had limited options in the post, as he benched Fajardo through several stretches of games after they struggled with their pick-and-roll coverage.
The addition of QMB and his subsequent insertion into the final roster will likely mean that Japeth Aguilar’s retirement from Gilas duties will finally push through. Aguilar had already announced that the Hangzhou Asian Games in October 2023, where Gilas won gold, would be his swan song for international play. But he was pressed back into duty after Sotto tore his ACL early this year. He was still named to the 16-man pool, though, so he hasn’t officially re-retired yet.
But at 38, Japeth has clearly slowed down, and QMB would be his logical successor. Although not as explosive around the rim as the high-leaping Aguilar, QMB has a nice touch from 15 feet and knows how to get to his spots. If Sotto is good to go by late November, then Aguilar will likely get bumped off.
Unlike Sotto and even Aguilar, QMB is not much of a 3-point threat; he only took five attempts from beyond the arc in his lone UAAP season, making just one. But he’s a very good rebounder, grabbing 9.94 RPG for fifth overall, and shotblocker, swatting away 1.44 shots a game for third overall. He more than held his own against FSAs like Mo Tounkara, Mo Konateh, and Precious Momowei, suggesting he’ll be more than up to the task when ranged against Asian bigs.
When Sotto comes back, Cone will have five quality bigs to rotate, each with his own unique skill set. Of course, Kai is the cream of the crop, a seven-foot-three pillar who can catch lobs and stroke it from the side with equal efficiency. Edu is the athletic one who has gradually added a 3-point shot to his arsenal, Fajardo is the savvy veteran who still commands double teams, and Tamayo is the power forward who is probably the most versatile scoring big they have.
QMB can be the utility big off the bench, spelling either JMF or Kai. His relatively good footspeed will also allow Gilas to get up and down the court quickly, and his good hands can field lobs from the Gilas guards. Guam isn’t expected to put up much resistance, making the first window a perfect time for Cone to slowly break in QMB.
What’s next for QMB?
What happens after the twin Guam games is still up in the air. Just days after the second Guam game, the 2025 Southeast Asian Games will begin. The Philippines will be tapping Norman Black to handle the men’s basketball team, and already, he’s having trouble assembling a competitive squad. At the PBA Season 50 press conference, Commissioner Willie Marcial announced that the league will only be able to spare two rookies for Black’s lineup.
That’s better than nothing, but it also limits Black’s options. In an interview with The GAME at the Rookie Combine in early September, he said he had been hoping to get more big men to fill his roster. Geo Chiu, the top draft pick and at 6’10 the tallest PBA rookie this season, is an option, but other than him, there aren’t too many other rookie big men.
Which brings us to QMB, who isn’t in Black’s list and who hasn’t publicly said anything about wanting to play in the SEA Games. But getting him for Thailand is a win-win for both sides. The team gets a quality center, who in turn can make a name for himself in a tournament that has long produced hardcourt heroes for the Philippines.
There is talk that QMB is in the market for a playing contract somewhere in Asia (he’d qualify for the B.League with his new FIBA status), which might make him unavailable for the SEA Games. But Ray Parks and Matthew Wright, two players on the wish list, are also playing in Japan, and Black said they would be able to get their mother teams’ clearance. So, a similar workaround for QMB is very much possible.
Beyond the SEA Games, the second FIBA window in February 2026 will be challenging as Gilas will go up against New Zealand and Australia. They probably need to beat one of these teams at least once to be in a better position to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. QMB will be tested, especially against the Boomers, and he’ll have to bring his A-game.
Hopefully, by that time, wherever he’ll be playing professionally, he wills have already picked up a move or two.
Banner images from Kieran Punay/KLIQ Inc.