Jason Brickman and Jeremiah Gray are hoping that the upcoming stint in the inaugural PBA 3x3 season will also help them fix their documents in time for next year’s PBA Rookie Draft.
Brickman and Gray had to settle for playing in the PBA’s own version of the halfcourt discipline after they were deemed ineligible in the recent Draft for failing to submit documents from the Bureau of Immigration and Department of Justice.
“I’ll be happy to get those documents done while being out here, hopefully I can meet the right people and hopefully I can get it done so I can join the next draft,” Brickman said in the 2OT podcast which aired Saturday, March 20.
“That’s what I’m hopeful for, playing for 3x3 this year and next year join the 5-on-5,” added Brickman, who will play for Meralco in the new 3x3 competition.
Gray, who will suit up for TNT’s 3x3 squad, doesn’t see any complications as far as his own requirements are concerned.
“I don’t think I will have too much trouble as far as being eligible because the only problem with my papers is the difference in my mom’s last name and her dad’s last name spelled differently by one letter so that’s the only reason why I wasn’t eligible this year,” said Gray in the same podcast.
“All we need to do is get an affidavit and submit that and wait for it to process so I’ll have a lot of time now so I’m gonna get on that as soon as I can and hopefully everything goes smooth and they approve me this time, everything is clean and clear and I’ll get to step into that draft next year,” he added.
Both players are looking forward to the challenge of playing in a 3x3 setting, something Brickman and Gray admit will take some adjustment period.
“It’s gonna be much different game playing 3 on 3 so it’s gonna take a lot of adjustments to get used to being on a halfcourt, only playing with two other teammates at a time,” said Brickman.
Gray, meanwhile, got in touch with Kareem Maddox, a member of the United States’ 3x3 team, to help him prepare for the TNT 3x3 stint.
“It was actually shocking because it’s a way different game than I expected and I’ve heard people tell me that before but actually even though it’s not a real 3x3 game, but it was shocking how tired I was, how fast-paced it was, I thought it was gonna be a slower game but it’s way fast-paced,” he said.