No stopping Brandon

BRANDON Ganuelas-Rosser’s disappointments faded away the moment he became part of the first-ever grand champion of the PBA 3x3 tournament. And now, there is no stopping him realizing his dream of playing in the pro league.

The younger brother of Matt is looking forward to being a part of Class 2022 when the PBA welcomes the new batch of rookies.

The Rookie Draft, however, has been moved in April due to the ongoing pandemic restrictions.

“It was really disappointing,” said the younger Ganuelas-Rosser. “Because I had my eyes set on that draft for a while, then all of a sudden, the global pandemic happened.”

“But you’ve got to roll with the punches. I’ve tried my best to be a part of it, but it wasn’t meant to be that time. It happened for a reason. We’ll see what happens for the next coming draft,” he said.

In the coming Rookie Draft, there will be lenient rules for Filipinos with foreign lineage making it easy for Brandon to enter the 2022 Draft.

He had taken the best route to make it to the PBA via the 3x3 tournament, a stand alone league where Brandon and company dominated the last three legs on their way to becoming the first grand champion of the event.

Brandon’s Limitless Appmasters, Phoenix’s 3x3 team, was able to show the way in the last three legs and the promising player made sure everybody will take notice of his skill set — a wide bodied, versatile player who never backs down from the challenge.

The younger Ganuelas-Rosser believes that to become a part of the big boys club, you need to play tough and ready for the hard pounding, and that’s what the 3x3 tournament gave him.

He was a stranger playing the 3x3 format but as soon as he got himself settled, the rest of his teammates hopped on his back.

“After I knew I wasn’t going to be in that draft and I was still trying to find out what my next move was going to be, luckily, the PBA put on the 3x3 challenge,” he said. “I was able to join the guys at Phoenix and I’ll just go from there.”

For Brandon, taking his PBA journey via the PBA 3x3 had somehow boosted his stock and confidence.

While waiting for his turn to join the Rookie Draft, the league was able to put on a platform where he can showcase his stuff. True, the 3x3 is a different animal, but Brandon learned a lot of things playing a brand of game that is new to him.

“It was tough,” added Brandon. “At the beginning, we’re just winning one game, two games. But it was a group effort. All the guys, we just knew we were getting used to each other, getting used to the 3 x 3 game. Once we got our feet underneath us, we were hard to stop and we won the last three championships. That was pretty fun.”

According to Brandon, he knew that the 3x3 is a real men’s game and played at a highly-physical level. It was a type of game that suits his liking.

“I have to tone down a bit. I knew it’s physical. I’m a physical player,” added Brandon. “In the first few games, I was fouling a lot, I was even fined because I got a flagrant foul. I also had to turn the intensity down a little bit and rely on my skills more and I was able to have some good results.”

“I enjoyed the 3x3. I’m used to it now. It’s really fun to play. It’s high pace, intense. It’s really fun. I’m looking forward to the next conference and hopefully, it will start really soon. Hopefully, we can repeat,” he said.

Now that he was able to get himself settled in the PBA, his next step is to play the 3x3’s next conference — and then join the Rookie Draft. He believes there’s no stopping him from joining this time.

Like his older brother, Matt, who was selected fourth overall pick in 2014, the younger Ganuelas-Rosser is touted to be one of the top prospects in the coming Rookie Draft along with Jason Brickmann and Jeremiah Gray, who played for TNT’s 3x3 team but got injured in the first conference.

Matt said his brother can learn from his journey.

“The only advice I can give is to earn the trust of your teammates,” said the elder Ganuelas-Rosser. “At the end of the day, I’m always here, on the court, off the court, I think it’s good for a rookie to look for somebody they can look up to, bring them under his wing and give advice to them.”

For Brandon, the coming PBA Rookie Draft is something to look forward to and although he doesn’t have a preferred destination, he wants to prove only one thing to his fellow players, the coaches and the league in general.

“No matter where I go or end up, I’m going to focus on myself,” said Brandon.

“Obviously, I just want to win. But it’s a team game. You’ve got to go on there and try to set a standard. Try to earn the trust of your teammates, coaches and show them that you’re somebody they can rely on to get wins.”