Vic Manuel looked sharp and unstoppable inside the paint in the Alaska Aces’ 2015-16 PBA Philippine Cup opener as they conquered the TNT Tropang Texters, 114-98.
The slotman scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, shooting an efficient 8-for-13 from the field to lead the Aces in a drubbing of the Tropang Texters.
Most of Manuel’s points came inside the paint where he would attack from a back-to-basket position and finish with one-handers. Sometimes he would face up, drive, and finish around the rim.
He says being part of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour competitions helped him with playing one-on-one and beating opponents off the dribble as he went up against taller, faster opponents throughout the year.
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“Yung experience ko sa 3-on-3, ang laro talaga doon mas one-on-one sa poste, and sinasabi sa akin ni coach darating ang bola sa amin sa ilalim,” Manuel said.
Manuel added he was only taking advantage of getting touches inside, as he was pitted against TNT rookie Troy Rosario for most stretches. While he dominated the TNT forward, he said he only leaned on experience because he knew Rosario will only get better.
“Nagkataon lang siguro na yung bola nasa amin so ginrab lang namin yung opportunity na maka-score,” Manuel said.
“Siguro naninibago pa lang si Troy dahil hindi naman basta-basta ang laro sa PBA. Mas pisikal and dinala na lang rin namin siguro sa experience dahil nahihirapan rin kami sa kaniya. Sobrang athletic niya.”
Manuel also shared that they were given enough rest prior to their season opener, and that gave him the extra bite to dominate the inside.
“Nabigyan naman kami ng pahinga ni coach. Kailangan lang mas maging aggressive pa kami,” he said.
