Jackson LeVroman gave up on Ginebra. by Robi Raya

By Robi Raya (@DaRealRobiRaya)

It was probably the 429^th time that BGK import Jackson Vroman utilized his arms the way Italian ballers use theirs to say, “Screw you ref!” But something was different this time; he knew the ref was right. The naturalized Lebanese was just called for his graduating foul. By looking at how he half-heartedly protested against the call, it was as if he fouled himself out of the game. Vroman wanted no part of the ass-whoopin that the Llamados were handing out, just like Piolo wanted no part of KC. Vroman gave up on his team the way ‘Bron gave up on the Cavs.

But it wasn’t like the lead was insurmountable. Vroman threw in the towel with barely 6 minutes left. Ginebra was down 94-79. The Ginebra crowd was still into the game. This is the team known for never giving up, the team who never says, “Die”. No doubt ---- if there was a team that could pull off a Lazarus-like stunt, it was Ginebra.

Yet an awkward marriage squashed all hopes of a comeback. It was an unwieldy union formed even before BGK trailed by half a month in Game 4, even before Game 4 of the PBA semifinals started.  When Jackson Vroman officially replaced Chris Alexander, when Vroman and Ginebra were pronounced Import and Team, the pairing seemed destined to crumble.

I can only imagine the pain Ginebra fans brought home that night. Masakit talaga. I can imagine them talking to their bathroom mirrors and asking, “Bakit si Vroman? Dapat kasi hindi nalang pinalitan si Alexander!”  Sure, Alexander would have made a difference in that series. He was bigger than Vroman and his body was made to withstand more pounding from the surprisingly physical Llamados. Theoretically, substitute Alexander for Vroman in Game 4 and the 18 offensive rebounds Ginebra gave up should have been easily cut in half.

Alexander certainly was the better fit for BGK in the series against B-MEG, but I’m not sure if they would even be in the semis with him. I saw him average 14 points and 17 boards in his 3-game stint. Those numbers weren’t bad at all but I highly doubt if he could have sustained them. After all, Alexander’s conditioning was suspect. Chris Alexander didn’t move like an import at all and his lack of energy was a bad fit for Barangay Ginebra Basketball. Think about it: Chris Alexander was a black Adam Parada.

So the what-if/what-could-have-been questions should stop now. If you ask me, Ginebra management made the right decision to replace Chris Alexander. They just picked the wrong guy to replace him.

But this is what drives Ginebra fans insane: Jackson Vroman was a legit NBA player. He was 31^st overall draft choice by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 (notably ahead of Trevor Ariza at 43^rd). He was a 6’10” forward who played decent NBA minutes. He was also an accomplished club player in Iran, winning national and Asian Championships. More significantly, he led the Kings to an outright semis berth after helping the team win 4 of their last 6 games. So going into the semis, there was little to refute his case.

And then, the problems started:

a) Vroman missed too many free throws and lacked confidence to make some

b) Vroman always complained about calls. He looked like Chot Reyes in the process

c) Vroman was too damn soft for smaller but tougher PBA bruisers.

Alas, these signs exploded in the semis, when stakes were higher and subtle punches were harder. You saw it coming. He was methodically broken down, thawed by Reavis, then chopped by Pingris, and most surprisingly, (drum roll please…) cooked by Yancy De Ocampo!

Finally in Game 4, Jackson LeVroman gave up. While getting brutally outplayed by the Llamados and after producing yet another egg in the 4^th quarter, he tapped out. You should’ve seen the look of resignation on his face when he fouled Pingris.

This was a failed marriage even before the engagement. Jackson Vroman and Ginebra Basketball are just not made for each other. The Ginebra way requires you to be tough and strong, fan loving and kind, arrogant yet focused. Jackson Vroman just was every bit the opposite. It’s just effin sad and frustrating to see a guy, someone you barely have a connection with, ruin everything. It’s frustrating to see that he quit on his team. He quit on the whole Barangay.

So what now? What’s the use of looking back and criticizing when you can do nothing about it? Maybe Jackson Vroman didn’t know what he signed up for. Maybe he had no idea how emotional BGK fans are. Maybe he didn’t know how physical the PBA could be. Maybe he had deep personal problems we weren’t aware of.

Ultimately, Vroman’s case shows us how hard it is to get a quality import. You can scout someone’s game as much as you can or get the best recommendations from credible sources. So who expected Vroman’s character to inexplicably disappoint as much as it did? There’s just no way a team scout, or a massive fan base, can know what an import is made of until that import finally reveals his true competitive self. RR