The clock has been ticking for him the moment he donned a maroon jersey. While other hoopers in the UAAP league were here to stay for years, all he had was four months.
But the limits of time were no big deal for a big man with a single chance.
Upon joining the University of the Philippines (UP) Men’s Basketball Team, one-and-done center Quentin Millora-Brown, also known as “QMB” or “Q” for short, was certain the only road he was going to lead the squad was toward redemption.
“I want to make sure that when people look back at this year, they’re like, ‘Okay, two years [ago] or in Season 84, we got the first win, followed by two years of heartbreak, then they found their way back,’” Q told Tinig ng Plaridel in October last year.
“I want it to be a legacy of success, continuing that legacy as well as building on it for all of the people who are to come,” he added.
Topping the scoreboard with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds in Game 3 of their finals against De La Salle University, Q closed out his swan song in style and led the championship back to Diliman.
Now, the 25-year-old is set to fulfill a purpose bigger than himself — sporting the colors of blue, red, yellow and white.
At long last
The wait is finally over after months of paperwork for his eligibility since early this year, playing for the Macau Black Bears in between.
UP’s pride will now also become the Philippines’.
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone recently revealed the 12-man lineup for the first window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, with Q as the new addition. This follows his inclusion in the 18-man pool and reclassification as a local player in August.
The squad will face Guam on Nov. 28 at the U.S. island territory’s Yigo Village and on Dec. 1 at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym.
“There’s hundreds of thousands of people who would love to represent but being one of 18 in the pool this time and being one of [the] 12 players to be able to represent [the country], it’s a huge honor and a huge responsibility to give everything you have to show the best of what the Philippines has to offer,” Q said in an exclusive interview with TNP a day before flying to Guam.
This time, Q will be on the same side of the court as former rival Kevin Quiambao, alongside fellow UP student athlete Carl Tamayo and the country’s seasoned veterans.
“All of them have been playing a little bit longer than me, so hearing how they’ve done throughout their careers… has been nice because I think it’ll give me insight over the next couple of years as to when I face decisions [and] how do I make decisions,” said Q.
Quotable performance
Yet before having to hear from his teammates and fellow players from the collegiate to the national scene, there was one person who started it all for him — his late UP alumnus grandfather.
“My lolo was really the one who gave me my love for basketball. Growing up, […] whenever I would go with him, [we’re always] just playing in the driveway [and] just dribbling a basketball,” Q recalled. “He loved the sport. He really imparted that love onto me. So, being able to represent and showcase that love of the game is really special for me.”
The Fil-Am center spent his formative years playing for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I schools in the U.S. He was at Rice University for a year, Vanderbilt for four years and one for the Citadel.
UP first reached out to him in 2021 while Q was pursuing his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt, where he averaged 5.6 rebounds per game and had a total of 38 blocks.
After graduating in 2023, the Virginia native spent a single season with Citadel, where he garnered an average of 11.2 markers per game with an overall average of 9.4 boards and 1.3 blocks.
Meanwhile, Q played a pivotal role in his lone season in UP, averaging of 8.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, with five double-double performances during the elimination phase.
In the first match of the best-of-three finals series, he notched a career-high game with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
“The usual — hard work, defense, attention to details,” Q described what to expect from him as he suits up for Gilas Pilipinas. “Those are the things I can control. I can’t control how the ball falls when I shoot it. I can’t control how the refs make calls, but I can control my effort and energy — [to] always [give] a hundred percent.”
Meaningful connections
Yet, despite the great numbers the 6-foot-10 Maroon center has achieved now, basketball was not the only sport he’s ever played in his life.
During his childhood years until the age of 12, his father made him try fencing. But Q did not simply wish to get in the game, he wanted to be a team player.
“Basketball was the one I loved more. It was the one I had a passion for […] Fencing was fun. It was interesting. It was exciting. But you kind of miss out on relying on others and team chemistry and bonding in a way that’s, ‘Hey, as a team, we have to achieve this,’” Q explained while still in UP.
He appreciated how playing basketball led him to learn about life, travel and connect with strangers who have become his friends.
Before heading to Guam, the former UP standout watched the Diliman-based squad face the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their second-round match-up on Nov. 19 and had a surprise visit in one of their training sessions.
“I love talking to all of them and will always support them […] Every team is unique and every team is special in its own way. They all face their own challenges. And those relationships you develop over the course of the season and year are things that you carry with you the rest of your life,” Q gleefully shared.
He also met with some of them over dinner, alongside now-Japanese B.League athlete Francis Lopez and San Beda Red Lions player Aldous Torculas.
“Being able to maintain those relationships and stay close with all of them is always amazing. In the season, you see each other so much, you kind of forget these are your best friends for life,” the big man said.
What remains with Q, apart from this, is the support of the UP community that extends all the way to his national level of competition.
“Once a Maroon, always a Maroon,” he said. “It’s one of those things [why] I’ll always be coming back to UP and supporting. Just like the fans will always support, right? They never disappoint. They’re always there.”
Bound for more
Q had already thought of a professional career even before his UAAP stint ended, yet his priority at the time was winning as many games with UP.
“The future will take care of itself if you focus on the present, right? Like if I do everything I need to, then those doors will open up when the time comes.”
And doors, indeed, opened.
As he enters one of them, what is certain is that Q will not waste the opportunity given to him, just as he valued the lone chance he had in the UAAP.
“I know the clock is ticking for me, right? You only have so many years of playing at your best, playing at the highest level of basketball and those years don’t go backwards,” he said. “I want to take advantage of my prime years while I can.”
And until now, even as time runs, the versatile big is determined to take things piece by piece.
“I’m focused on the now […] I’m focused on giving everything I have to Gilas,” he said about his potential participation in the Southeast Asian Games in December. “I let my agent handle all those things. If that’s what he thinks is the best option, that’s what I’ll go with.”
Q’s one-letter nickname and one-and-done center title might just be easy to remember.
When asked back then, he only wanted to be kept in memory as a “kind, hard-working” person.
But there are many other ways to recall him now.
Quentin Millora-Brown is a winner, a brother, and a nation’s pride.
Editor’s note: The original version of this article was submitted to the J195 (Sports Journalism) class under Tessa Jazmines.
