Taylor Browne wanted to get a jump on his pro basketball career over the winter, and his move to the South Pacific in January seems to have paid off.
The Surrey-raised UBC Thunderbirds standout is signed to play for the Manila-based Alaska Aces, the franchise that picked him 16th overall in the 2021 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Draft.
Healed from a ruptured Achilles tendon a couple U Sports seasons ago, the six-foot-three Browne said he’s eager to hit the court as a guard in one of Asia’s top pro hoops leagues – that is, once the country’s current COVID lockdown eases.
“I’m just chilling here basically, not much to do,” Browne, 24, said on the phone from his Manila home. “I try to stay busy but it’s not that easy. We’re not allowed to go outside unless it’s essential.”
He hopes the Aces will be practicing and playing games in a month or two, after the league’s mid-April season start was delayed.
Browne is set to play for the New York Yankees of the PBA, a league dominated by 14 Aces championships since 1986.
It’s quite a trip from Fleetwood’s Holy Cross Regional High School, where Browne was a star player before graduating in 2015 and moving on to UBC, where he shot 40 per cent from the field and 43 per cent from three-point range in 132 games with the Thunderbirds.
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After the pandemic killed the 2020-21 Canada West season, Browne soon flew to the Philippines, where his family has roots.
Being drafted by the Aces was a “surreal” experience for Browne.
“I have always dreamed of this moment and it was amazing,” he says. “My family in the Philippines was watching it on live TV and even they said it was one of the coolest experiences. It means the world to me to be able to play in my mother’s home country, and to represent Canadians in this league is what motivates me. This has been my dream since I was a kid so getting to this point is so fulfilling.”
• FROM THE ARCHIVES, 2016: Holy Cross grad Browne shoots for national hoops title with UBC.
Browne becomes the first pro basketball player from Holy Cross. “We are so proud to call you a Crusader!” the school’s athletic department tweeted on March 14.
Heading into the PBA draft, Browne was dubbed “the mystery man” by some observers.
“Most haven’t seen him play but Taylor Browne will be the steal of this draft,” PBA Insider tweeted. “Lights out shooter, can slash, handle, pass and plays well on or off the ball. Good size at 6’3. Not only that, the Aces got collegiate stars Stockton and Ilagan late. Those are definite Ws.”
Meantime, Taylor’s younger brother Marcus Browne opted to play football, not basketball, at UBC, as a six-foot-four receiver. “He wants to play pro football, maybe in the CFL or somewhere else, that’s his dream,” Taylor noted.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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