US NCAA: 3 Fil-Ams compete in March Madness

A trio of Filipino-American sophomores will be looking to help their teams go the distance in the United States' famed March Madness tournament this month, the annual single elimination contest to crown the best collegiate squad in America.

 

As first noted by the Facebook page United Philippine Basketball, Stephen "Scuba"

Holt of Saint Mary's College, Jason Brickman of Long Island University Brooklyn, and

Matthew Wright of Saint Bonaventure University are three rotation-level players with

Filipino blood coursing through their veins. And in a tournament characterized by heroic

plays and stunning upsets, it's not impossible to see any of the three go the distance.

 

From there, who knows? Perhaps in the future we could see them among the ranks of our

National Team, or even better, wearing the uniform of an NBA squad.

 

Brickman hopes to see the Blackbirds fly

 

This isn't Jason Brickman's first dance.

 

Of the three Fil-Ams to take part in the 'madness,' it's Brickman who's no stranger

to playing on a big stage, having come off the bench last year when his Long Island

University Brooklyn Blackbirds fell 102-87 to the University of North Carolina Tarheels.

 

In that game, Brickman logged 24 minutes and produced just three points on 1 of 8

shooting, but the 5'10" Texan's value lies in his ability to set the table for his teammates,

dishing out eight of his squad's 19 assists. This year, Brickman's the starter, and his LIU

Blackbirds were the toast of the Northeast Conference, finishing with a 16-2 (25-8)

record.

 

As a starter, this Barangay Ginebra fan has seen his minutes take a huge leap, going from

22.8 off the bench to 34.3 as the regular floor general. Boasting averages of 9.7 points,

2.6 rebounds, and a whopping 7.3 dimes, Brickman will need to be a steady hand, as his

squad once again gets matched up against a number-one seed, namely the Michigan State

Spartans.

 

Brickman has two hoops-loving brothers, in case Gilas in interested in a sibling act. Older

brother Jordan was ranked 9th best senior in Texas in 2009, and after being recruited by

Arizona, Stanford and Texas A&M, chose the United States Naval Academy. Youngest

brother Justin is with the Tom C. Clark High School Cougars in San Antonio, Texas.

 

Clearly in touch with their Filipino roots, the Brickman brothers participate in various

Asian-American leagues in Texas.

 

Stephen Holt just wants to play

 

St. Mary's Gaels is perhaps best known for producing center Omar Samhan, who was the

import of the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the PBA this conference, until an ACL-injury downed him. The 6'4" sophomore Stephen Holt similarly wants to make his mark, but

first he'll have to be cleared to play first.

 

The starting shooting guard of the 18th ranked squad in the U.S. missed his team's last

five games, due to a knee injury that he suffered back in February. Despite missing his

across-the-board contributions of 10.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.8 steals over

32.6 minutes, the Gaels were able to claim a seventh seed after topping the West Coast

Conference, 14-2 (27-5).

 

The early prognosis has Holt, whose mother is Filipino, being able to play against tenth-

seeded Purdue later this week, and this trigger-happy team could definitely benefit from

Holt’s all-around game returning to the floor.

 

International experience might be Matthew Wright’s edge

 

Back in 2008, 6'2" Fil-Canadian Matthew Wright was tapped to lend his aggressiveness

to the Philippine Under-18 team. While more focus was given to his countryman Norbert

Torres, a 6'6" big man who eventually joined the De La Salle University Green Archers,

Wright crossed the border to the US, and found a spot on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies.

 

Now a "1" instead of a "2/3," Wright has been a key cog for the Atlantic 10 champions, a

position they managed to hold despite placing third in the standings with a 10-6 (20-11)

conference record.

 

While his 7 points, 2.5 rebounds and team-best 2.7 assists in 27.9 minutes won't wow

anyone, Wright's stint playing bigger, tougher opposition with his countrymen could

count for something in the pressure-packed March tourney. With his school as a 14th

seed, Wright and his teammates open the tournament against three-seed Florida State,

with visions of an upset on their minds. — RSJ, GMA News