Aquas playmaker Jason Brickman upskills Kaohsiung students

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Just over three and a half months after the Kaohsiung Aquas made history by winning Taiwan's inaugural pro T1 LEAGUE championship, the club's playmaker, Jason Brickman, visited a secondary school basketball tournament in the southern port city Wednesday to teach some skills and pass on tips to the next generation.

"It was very exciting to come out here and be with the kids, be able to share my routine, my warm up routine. I just want to be in the community to see these kids play and interact with them," said the Filipino-American, who was named the Most Valuable Import player for his phenomenal performance in the T1 LEAGUE.

Heralded as one of the best passing point guards in Asia, Brickman led the league with an average of 10.3 assists per game during the regular season, helping his club win the inaugural championship title of the league's 2021-22 season on June 4 with a 103-100 win against the Taichung Wagor Suns in Game 3 of the playoff finals.

Winning over the hearts of basketball fans across Taiwan for his leadership and on-court magic, Brickman is no stranger to Taiwanese fans as he was also part of the Mighty Sports basketball team, which represented the Philippines and swept the last edition of the Taiwan-hosted international invitational William Jones Cup in 2019.

On Wednesday, Brickman shared his warmup routine with hundreds of students at the 57-team inter-secondary school basketball tournament's opening ceremony held at Kaohsiung Youth Sports Park Basketball Courts.

"I just think it's important, especially for guards to have a good routine before a game to really get warmed up and get focused for the game. I think that puts your mindset towards the game and the challenges of the game, so, I just wanted to share all the things that I do and why I do those things," Brickman said.

After watching the students hit the courts and some of the games at the tournament, Brickman said he felt that basketball in Taiwan was growing and that it was great to see young people enjoy the sport and have so many courts to play on.

Brickman's visit to the basketball tournament follows on from a visit to the basketball club of semiconductor assembling and test manufacturer ASE in the export processing zone in Kaohsiung's Nanzih District in April to coach Filipino and Taiwanese factory workers.

These programs aim to embrace the community so people in the southern port city will love the team, according to the Aquas.