Sports
Brown back, touches base with fans, colleagues
- Details
- Published on Monday, 09 July 2012 00:00
By A Web design Company
FORMER pro league star and Most Valuable Player Ricardo “Ricky” Brown is back in Manila for the first time in 22 years to touch base with his fans and renew ties with his old hard court colleagues and mentors.
“It is truly the thrill of a lifetime to return to the Philippines after so many years. Some of the best years of my life were spent on the hard courts of the Araneta Coliseum and Ultra in front of the greatest basketball fans ever, and the multitude of cherished memories will remain in my heart forever. To the Filipino people, it feels so good to be coming home to see you once again,” Brown said on his arrival.
Brown had the uncanny talent to run rings around his opponents and his deadly shooting hand and lightning-fast handoffs earned him the moniker “The Quick Brown Fox.”
Brown, whose trip to Manila was made possible by the PBA, Robinsons Malls, Crowne Plaza, Luxor International, Chevrolet Philippines, San Miguel Corp. and Hawaiian Airlines, was the first ever naturalized Filipino-American to suit up for Philippine National Team during the 1980 Jones Cup in Taiwan, where the Ron Jacobs-coached Northern Cement quintet demolished Taiwan, Sweden, Italy and the United States en route to the title.
Brown was named the 1983 Rookie of the Year and 1985 Most Valuable Player. He was also named a member of the PBA Mythical Five in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1988.
As a stalwart of the Great Taste Coffee Makers under Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan and later with the Miguel Beermen, he won seven PBA titles, including the rate Grand Slam in 1989 his 10-year stint in the league.
Brown still holds the PBA All-time Career scoring average of 23.1 points per game and the PBA All-time best assist average of 7.3 assists per game. He was named as one of the league’s Greatest Players in 2000 and was elevated to the PBA Hall of Fame in 2009. He now works as the principal of the Ross Middle School in Artesia, California.
While in Manila, Brown will grace the PSA Forum tomorrow at Shakey’s UN Ave. and will attend meet and greet events organized for his fans on July 12 at the Robinsons Mall (Manila Midtown Level 3 Lobby), July 13 at the Robinsons Mall (Sports Loop of Galleria), and July 14 at the Robinsons Mall (Forum Activity Area).
On July 15, he will be honored as one of the 25 Greatest Players in the history of the league. He will receive his PBA jacket and Hall of Fame award from Commissioner Chito Salud.
