AT LEAST three prospective first rounders won't beat the PBA's deadline for Fil-foreign applicants on Friday.
Spin.ph sources confirmed that Jason Brickman, Jeremiah Gray, and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser were not able to secure the necessary papers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Bureau of Immigration (BI) and will be scratched from the final list of entrants for the upcoming PBA Rookie Draft.
"Hindi sila nakakuha ng schedule sa Philippine Consulate even though there was already a communication between both parties that they are natural-born Filipino citizens," the source said.
Brickman, Gray, and Ganuelas-Rosser all have Philippine passports and reports of birth, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, had a hard time securing the required Certificate of Recognition and Affirmation as Filipino Citizen.
Tyrus Hill also faced the same issue with the La Salle high-flyer still in the United States.
It's a bitter pill for these entrants to swallow given their rising stock in the upcoming draft exercise.
Brickman, 29, has long been regarded as one of the best playmakers outside of the PBA with the 5-foot-10 Fil-Am court general showing his wares at Long Island University - Brooklyn and later in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).
Gray, 24, is one of the most promising bets in this year's class with the 6-foot-6 Dominican University stud beaming with potential .
Ganuelas-Rosser, 26, has shown tremendous athleticism in his two years here and was looking to follow in the footsteps of his brother Matt, who is now in Terrafirma.
Curiously, all three were part of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the aborted 2019-2020 ABL season.
All signs point to them missing the bus, unless the PBA issues an 11th hour decree relaxing its eligibility rules for Fil-foreigners.
Still, this doesn't mark the end of the road for all three, with PBA 3x3 being more lax with its eligibility requirements, needing only Philippine passports to be able to play.
"May mga lumalapit na sa kanila," the source added as the trio find new hope through the halfcourt game.
Once they accomplish the papers, they can elect to join the next draft process once again.
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