Brickman, Two Other Alab Players Still Ineligible to Enter PBA Draft

If they have been eligible to enter this year's Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie Draft, Filipino-foreign players such as Jason Brickman, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Jeremiah Gray would be picked right in the first round. Unfortunately, they will need the PBA to change the ruling on Fil-Foreigners entering the draft so they can make the splash into the big league. And the PBA needs to act quickly as the January 27 deadline for draft aspirants to submit their applications is closing in.

 While many still say that this year's PBA Rookie Draft will have the deepest draft class in recent memory, that number of draft aspirants will go down as the deadline nears. 

According to Charlie Dy who is the agent of Brickman, Gaunelas-Rosser, and Gray, the three players have yet to acquire certifications from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to prove their Filipino citizenship. 

"They still have to submit the BI recognition and the DOJ affirmation,” Dy said in a podcast hosted by former PBA Commissioner Noli Eala.

Given that the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic is still in the air, the chances of Brickman, Ganuelas-Rosser, and Gray getting the requirements personally before the deadline is already slim as it is with the travel restrictions that are brought about by the pandemic prevent the trio from flying to the country. 

If they aren't able to join this year unless the PBA decides to change the rule, we may still see Brickman in the PBA in the future. The earliest: 2022. 

Photo is from People's Journal