Brown fulfills PBA dream

(Second of three-part series)

LOS ANGELES — In the media, if a show, commercial, article, or any form of information dissemination is powerful enough to make even just one person do certain things or act a certain way, then it is considered a success. Last week’s column moved a lot of people to actually turn on their computer, log on to the Internet, visit www.jannelleso.net and leave their comments about the article on PBA’s "Quick Brown Fox;" enough proof that people still do remember Ricardo "Ricky" Brown.

And to his credit, Brown also has not forgotten. He remembers the PBA which he ultimately came to know as the realization of his dreams; and the Philippines — which he came to know as "home" for a few years.

"That was the only home I knew at that point. I really didn’t have an inclination to come back here [in the States]," said Brown in a phone interview. "I lived in Greenhills, I was there 10 months of the year. I only came back here to visit my family for Christmas. But when I came back here, I was not home anymore. When I came back to Manila, people would say ‘Welcome home’ and I felt that. I was very, very comfortable with the Philippines, with Manila and with the PBA."

After about 18 years of absence in the Philippine basketball scene, Brown still remembers everything vividly; although he may let lose some bitter sentiments here and there.

"My family here and my relatives told me that people were going to love me there [Philippines]. They told me people would like me because I was mestizo. And I thought I would go there and I was going to be accepted. That people would greet me with open arms. But it didn’t happen that way. It was the opposite," Brown lamented years after.

According to him he felt he had to earn the right to live in the Philippines and play in the PBA. At the time when fans weren’t used to seeing different-looking guys strut their stuff in the Philippine’s well-loved league; and local players weren’t used to sharing Pinoy hardcourt with foreign-looking players, Brown attracted critics. Some questioned his right to play in the PBA. Others commented on why he was earning so much, while possibly robbing a local player off possible employment and salary. But it wasn’t the only thing Brown was dealing with during those times.

"When I became a Filipino citizen, I remember the headline the next day, ‘Brown is now a Filipino’. But when I read that, that was pretty alarming to me. It hit me and the story was . . . I was becoming too . . ." Brown staggered, weighing his words. "I’m a very, very private person. And all of a sudden I was on center stage way more than I wanted to be. I was very, very uncomfortable with that. I just wanted to play."

According to the former Great Taste star player, even though thousands of people watched him when he directed his teammates inside the court, it was okay with him. But he added that it was a different story outside. He said he tried to avoid the proverbial public eye. But people from the media were just so persuasive (if not intrusive and downright nosey) that he felt anxious about it. In the interview, Brown admitted that the situation stressed him out. Nowadays, it’s one of the things he remembers with a tinge of bitterness.

"The peripherals, it made me really anxious and in a way, defensive. And I know it didn’t sit well with some people. Some people in the media expected me to take it. And maybe I didn’t do a good job of explaining that but I was a little bit anxious about what was going on. I wasn’t quite sure about what was going on with all the attention," he revealed. "I just wanted to play basketball and remain in the Philippines."

When Brown flew to the Philippines upon the invitation of former Ambassador Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco to play for the country in international meets, playing in the PBA was not part of the deal. But in 1983, "Danny Floro came in the mix," Brown recalled.

"I asked Mr. Cojuangco for his blessings if I could go to the PBA. I told him I knew I’d have to become a citizen. I’d have to renounce my American citizenship, and I was willing to do that because I wanted to stay in the Philippines. He gave me his blessings. Had he not done that, had he told me to wait, I would not have gone on to play for the PBA," said the first-ever Fil-Am to play in the Philippine’s most popular league.

In the same interview, the skilled point guard said that he was willing to go to Crispa. But fate, PBA higher officials, more likely, had planned a different game for Brown.

"There was a lot of under the table maneuverings, as you could imagine in the PBA, so I ended up with Great Taste," he said.

Brown added that he came to love Great Taste because of its characteristic as an average PBA team with good young talents. But without great imports, the team never had a success. At that time, it was a team that was ripe to do well.

"It didn’t happen immediately. We became competitive but we were not really capable at that point to defeat Crispa. But the second year, we were better than Crispa. We were very, very powerful, very young team," Brown said.

Despite the painful experiences with critics and the media that Brown recalled with a tinge of sadness, it was also very clear that the good times outnumbered the bad. Just as Brown had his share of detractors, he also built good relationships and made numerous friends, especially within the team.

"One thing you always remember, you’ll always remember your coach and the players you’ve played with. And you’ll always remember the starting five of the team," Brown said. "I had a blast. It was so much fun playing for Baby Dalupan. With Baby, I loved him so much. He’s the coolest guy in the world. I’d go through a brick wall for him. For me, he was just one of those coaches that I really wanted to play for and to win for."

Still, Brown went on to comment about the main difference which he noticed between coaching in the States and coaching in the Philippines. He explained that coaching in the States entailed a lot of teaching. During his time in the PBA, and he stressed that he wasn’t sure if it was still the case now, he noticed that coaching didn’t involve a lot of teaching. He recalled that during practice, all they concerned themselves with were putting an offense and defense together, and playing with each other as a team.

"That’s one thing that you really need to look at in the PBA, watch the rookies that come in. Every year they should improve. But if they’re not being taught; if they’re not being drilled on things that help them fundamentally, they never get better," he said. "That’s why a lot of guys are real good for the first couple years, and then all of a sudden, they tail off. It’s because there’s not a lot of teaching. And in professional sports, players still need to be taught. No one is beyond that."

Coaching is just one aspect of the PBA that Brown feels strongly about. There were more issues he openly talked about, like leaving the PBA; what he regrets the most; and even his thoughts on the Fil-Am/Fil-sham situation.

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More from this interview with "The Quick Brown Fox" next week.

To reach this writer, log on to www.jannelleso.net.