Photo from ASEAN Basketball League
If there’s one person who isn’t surprised with how good Jason Brickman is, it’s definitely Ariel Vanguardia.
Vanguardia is happy that finally, the Filipino crowd is witnessing how special his former prized point guard is as he dazzles for Mono Vampire in the bright lights of the 2018 ASEAN Basketball League Finals.
“You can see that he makes his teammates better,” Vanguardia proudly said. “You know how better Sam Deguara is, but it’s the trust the team is giving him, he’s the leader. He’s the one dictating their offense and you can see that he’s not shying away from the spotlight.”
Vanguardia coached Brickman under the banner of the Westports Malaysia Dragons, where the team, alongside Fil-Canadian Matthew Wright, claimed the 2016 ABL title.
Since then, the Fil-Am playmaker has continued his ascent in the regional league and has given himself another shot at winning a title, this time with the Thai side.
Seeing how Brickman has evolved as a player, Vanguardia couldn’t help but compare the 26-year-old to PBA legend and now San Miguel Alab Pilipinas coach Jimmy Alapag.
READ: Alapag ‘big fan’ of Brickman: ‘One of the smartest point guards I’ve seen’
“I coached Jimmy when he was a rookie when we drafted him in Talk ’N Text,” he said. “Jimmy and Jason have similarities, especially with the leadership, ball handling, and they’re tough. Like Jimmy Alapag, you can just give Jason the ball and he knows what decisions to make.”
Vanguardia, though, wonders how Brickman, who averaged 10.4 points, 10.3 assists, and 5.9 rebounds this season, was once again snubbed for the Heritage MVP award.
“I was surprised why he wasn’t named as the Heritage MVP,” he said, as the award went to Chong Son Kung Fu’s Fil-Am reinforcement Mikh McKinney. “For me, he deserves the award. Brickman was there from the start whereas McKinney came in late. But that’s how the voting went and we can’t do anything about it.”
Vanguardia believes that the snub will fuel Brickman’s game, especially with Mono Vampire on the brink of losing the ABL title after Alab took a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five championship series after a 99-93 win in Game 3 on Saturday.
“I think that’s going to be a chip on his shoulder. He has something to prove,” he said. “Back in my time, when he lost to Matthew Wright for the [Heritage MVP] award, I know he felt bad because he also wanted to win and you could see that in our practices. He did get the Finals MVP, but in my mind, Brickman and Wright were co-MVPs.”
“So with him not winning the award once more, coupled with Mono’s situation in the Finals, I believe people will really see how good Jason Brickman is,” said Vanguardia.
Game 4 is on Monday, still at Stadium 29 in Bangkok.