The first-round pick Rain or Shine intended for Filipino-American Jason Brickman in the PBA Draft will now have to be used for a different player.

Rain or Shine head of basketball operations Caloy Garcia bared the team had been eyeing to select Brickman before he failed to submit the documents required by the PBA for Filipino-foreigners.

After finishing the previous Philippine Cup at 8th place, Rain or Shine will get the No. 5 pick in the draft, which will be staged virtually on March 14.

“At No. 5, we were looking to get Brickman. But Brickman is not there anymore,” Garcia told The Chasedown show in a mix of Filipino and English.

Brickman was billed as a potential first-round pick following a well-traveled professional career that brought him to Russia, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, and eventually, the Philippines.

The six-foot guard finished his NCAA career in the United States for the Long Island University Brooklyn as 1 of the only 4 players in Division 1 history to record at least 1,000 assists.

“Now we have to talk about who we are going to get at No. 5,” Garcia said.

Garcia said Rain or Shine is gathering as much information about the rookie aspirants considering many have not played competitive basketball in the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He added Rain or Shine invited players the team is interested in to a workout after the PBA called off the annual Draft Combine, where rookie hopefuls usually showcase their wares.

“There are a lot of sleepers. There are plenty of players who joined the draft that we have yet to see play. We’re trying to get most of the videos that we can,” Garcia said. – Rappler.com