Brown not playing Greatest Game

Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) legend Ricardo Brown, known as the "Quick Brown Fox," won’t be able to play in the "Greatest Game" at the Araneta Coliseum on May 28.

The "Greatest Game," starring 22 of the PBA’s top 25 all-time hoop heroes, is the highlight of the league’s 30th anniversary celebration which will also feature the induction of the first batch of 12 Hall of Famers.

Brown, Abet Guidaben and Bernie Fabiosa–who are all in the US–begged off from playing in the much-awaited classic duel between the "Greats," coached by Robert Jaworski, and the "Legends," coached by Baby Dalupan.

Making up the "Greats" are Jaworski as playing coach, Ramon Fernandez, Francis Arnaiz, Danny Florencio, Manny Paner, Lim Eng Beng, Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Samboy Lim, Johnny Abarrientos, Kenneth Duremdes and Ato Agustin.

The "Legends" are composed of Alvin Patrimonio, Bogs Adornado, Atoy Co, Philip Cezar, Freddie Hubalde, Jerry Codiñera, Jojo Lastimosa, Allan Caidic, Vergel Meneses and Hector Calma.

In an e-mail to PBA commissioner Noli Eala the other day, Brown said the invitation to play in the "Greatest Game" brought "great excitement" and "great disappointment" to him.

Brown, who turns 48 on Sunday, is the assistant principal at Laguna Hills High School in South Orange County, California, and taking off from work to play here would mean missing critical campus events like graduation.

"We would be in our last couple of weeks and I have too many responsibilities to be away from work for the time it would take for me to make this commitment for this game," he said.

"I work at a middle school of over 1,700 7th and 8th grade students and the various areas that I am responsible for at that time–standardized testing, staffing, master schedule and end of year activities including graduation–make it impossible for me to be away.

"I sincerely regret that I will not be able to make the May 28 game. The fact that I have had three back surgeries has nothing to do with it. It is strictly job-related and the timing could not be worse with respect to my job responsibilities. It would be the thrill of my life to once again hear the roar of the fans when I pop a 24-foot jumper from downtown–I can still do that, I just can’t run because of my back.

"When I read about Allan and the old-timers participating in the 3-point shootout, I was envious. I only wish I could have been a part of that. Perhaps next time, na lang."

Brown played on six title teams in eight PBA seasons and was Rookie of the Year in 1983 and Most Valuable Player in 1985. He finished his PBA career on top of the all-time standings in average points (23.1), average assists (7.3) and free throw percentage (.876).

Brown was born in Chicago to an American father Lee and a Filipina mother Consuelo Vidal. He played at Centenary College in Louisiana, was an All-American at Yavapai Junior College in Arizona and starred at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Brown was the Houston Rockets’ third round pick in the 1979 National Basketball Association draft.

Brown lives in Mission Viejo with his wife Lorma Sahagun of Ilocos Norte and their children Justin, 20, and Kevan, 17. Brown met his wife, an accountant, in California and they got married in 1984. Justin was born in the US and lived five years in Manila while Kevan was born at the Cardinal Santos Hospital here.

Brown said what brought him to the Philippines to play basketball was not "to live the life" but "to see my mother’s homeland, meet my grandparents for the first time and represent the country in international competition as someone proud of my Filipino roots."

Brown added:

"Having lived in Manila for nearly a decade, I developed a great respect and admiration for the passion that Filipinos have for the great game of basketball. I took pride in the fact that I had the privilege to play in front of thousands of fans who looked forward to those evening games either at courtside or on TV. One of my fondest memories was simply driving around Manila, finding a group of guys playing basketball and walking over to join them for a while. I will always remember their faces when they saw me walking over to meet them.

"My biggest regret is that I did not do enough outside of basketball to give back to the Filipino fans. I only wish I would have taken the time, perhaps gained the confidence and trust of some when given the opportunity, to get involved in the schools, the underprivileged communities, etc. I always felt that when players grace an occasion, it is a thrill for the fans but only a fleeting one. It is shameful on my part that I didn’t use the skills I have outside of basketball to do more, to give a part of me back to the fans that help inspire and motivate me to reach the highest level of play that was possible for me. I only hope that one day, I can develop and maintain a relationship with the Filipino fans once again."