Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Alaska not rushing things with Vic Manuel like what they did to Banchero


After being out for nearly six months, Vic Manuel has returned Wednesday evening, when his Alaska Aces fought the debuting Magnolia Hotshots in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

And it was a return worth savoring.

Manuel saw action for eight minutes and 48 seconds, producing six points and a rebound as the Milkmen obliterated the John Fields-reinforced Hotshots, 103-80, to improve to 3-2 in the mid-season tilt.

“It’s great to see him in uniform,” gladly said Alaska head coach Alex Compton.

Compton was clearly all smiles now that his prized forward has come back. For the seasoned mentor, having a “game-changer” like that of Manuel will definitely make Alaska better again.

“Vic is a game-changer,” he said of Manuel, who last played in Game Five of the 2018 Governors’ Cup Finals.

“This conference last year, he’s averaging twenty-three pts in twenty-three minutes. Guys like that make coaches look good. It looks, ‘Oh, great execution.’ No. That guy is just really good,” Compton added.

“He got the ball and he was really good. Vic gives us a completely different option. We’re missing his scoring punch.”

Compton, however, made it clear that the Aces are not going to rush things with Manuel. Their main concern right now is to keep the bruising 6-foot-4 forward as healthy as possible.

“He is way too valuable for us to rush him and make the same mistake we did with Chris Banchero,” said Compton, as a then-hurt Banchero played long minutes in their conference opener last May 19.

“Nagiging maskulado talaga si Muscle Man. What happens when you come back from a long time off, and you just start practicing… We wanna make sure he’s doing all the work and doing good.”

#ReadMore  Adama Diakhite powers Diliman rout of NU; UST enters win column
Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Basketball

San Miguel got one of its key cogs back as Terrence Romeo returned in Game 1 of the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup Finals,...

Basketball

The PBA Commissioner’s Office has slapped hefty fines on 10 players for their participation in ‘ligang labas’ gigs without permission from their mother teams....

Basketball

Ginebra head coach Tim Cone knows that keeping the other team “unbalanced” is key in every playoff series, but he is unsure if he...

Basketball

ANTIPOLO – Christian Standhardinger and Jamie Malonzo starred as Ginebra fended off San Miguel, 121-112, to take Game 1 of their PBA Governors’ Cup...

Basketball

San Miguel took care of business by maximizing its win-once incentive against Converge, 121-105, to book the first ticket to the 2023 PBA Governors’...

Basketball

San Miguel found yet another reason to believe that life without June Mar Fajardo won’t be as hard as generally perceived thanks to Vic...

Basketball

San Miguel injected more hope into its top-seed aspirations after mauling an all-Filipino Rain or Shine side, 129-116, in the penultimate game of the...

Basketball

Cameron Clark aided San Miguel to a great escape of Ginebra, 102-99, for win no. 7 in the PBA Governors’ Cup, Friday night at...

Advertisement