Adamson University’s floor general Robbie Manalang has been a picture of stability during the first round campaign of the Soaring Falcons. The 23 year old rookie though has shown signs of jitters during Adamson’s losses to the UE Red Warriors and the De La Salle Green Archers.
Against the two pressing teams, the Filipino-American struggled to find his shot and set-up his teammates. In both of those games, he was forced to commit a combined 11 turnovers and converted on just two field goals.
Manalang admitted that he is still getting used to the UAAP game and it’s still a learning process for him.
“I’m a rookie but I’m not going to make that an excuse. I’ll learn from it and I know coach Franz [Pumaren] is not going to let me be like that anymore,” said Manalang, who is 8.9 points and 4.1 assists per game said.
“I’m ready to step up and ready to play better. It’s just me getting back to practice and learning from my coaches.”
Unlike in their first game against the Green Archers that saw Adamson get blown out by 16 points, the second round encounter was a classic. Both teams executed to perfection but even in doing so, La Salle was able to keep its perfect slate.
Being a part of a game like that only ignited a fire in the California-native.
“I still need to learn how to control the pace of the game. It was a wild game, up and down,” he reflected. “If I can learn how to control it and set my teammates into better positions, we could have won that game.”
And with the attention the young Falcons are getting, he is now looking at embracing the pressure it brings. And it can only lead to better things once he regains his composure.
“Adamson is really in the lime light right now. There’s a little pressure. I just have to accept it and embrace the pressure. That’s what makes the good players great,” he said.
“If you’re a basketball player, this is what you live for.”
