Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Jared Brown in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—III-I-XIV.
At first glance, this dateline seemed just another piece in Ateneo player Jared Brown’s growing arm sleeve tattoo.
But, as many other ink pieces do, that holds a deep meaning in Brown’s life. It’s also the same piece that fueled the shifty guard in the Blue Eagles’ 80-74 victory over University of the East in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament at Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.
After shooting for a team-high 22 points built on six-made triples on an efficient 46.2 percent field goal shooting clip, Brown revealed that other than the squad’s Final Four hopes, his tattoo reminded him to play well.
After all, his grandfather was with him everywhere he went to help him move forward everywhere he went. His memory, quite literally, is inked on him.
“This is my first tattoo. This is the day my grandpa on my mom’s side passed away. Actually, before coming to this game, I was really thinking about it because my family’s coming tomorrow and they showed me this video of my grandpa that passed,”
“I really felt like he was with me today, which makes it my favorite tattoo.”
Family is a word that Brown holds dear to him and his arm sleeve is a testament to that fact. He also has the death anniversary of his other grandfather on his father’s side tattooed on him.
A closer look at Jared Brown’s tattoos. –MELO FUERTES/INQUIRER.net
Having these datelines attached to him isn’t just a reminder of the memories that passed but also serves as a message that his “angels” are with him all the time, from the dugout, the court and outside of it.
“This is from my mom’s side and I even have one in my dad’s side right here so I just feel like I have my angels with me all the time. They just give me the strength to play.”
Self-improvement remains to be a point of concern for Brown, especially with a game against Season 86 contender La Salle looming.
Brown lamented his performance on the offensive end against the Red Warriors, where he fumbled the ball thrice.
“I felt like I shot it pretty well but I definitely could improve on more areas like taking care of the ball more. [I] just [want to] make sure that I make it a point to get a shot off every possession, that’s what I need to work on.”
He’ll also be needing the help of his angels to try and take care of business against the frontrunner MVP Kevin Quiambao.
“KQ is a machine. He’s like a triple-double machine so I think our job is just to match his energy, follow the scouting report that coach has for us and it’s going to be a really high-intensity game, [there’ll be] so many people watching, our motivation is going to be there,” said Brown.
The UAAP’s oldest rivalry will have a new chapter written on Saturday at Araneta Coliseum.