By: Danine Cruz and Matthew Li
Robbie Manalang left the historic SMART-Araneta Coliseum in tears on Saturday afternoon. He had just played his final game for the Adamson University.
The Soaring Falcons floor general entered Saturday’s match against the twice-to-beat De La Salle University Green Archers with a do-or-die mentality. In his two-year stay at Adamson, he has yet to taste victory at the expense of the defending champions.
“Being in my last game, I didn’t care if I make mistakes. I’m just playing as hard as I can, trying to help the team the way I can, just trying to stay aggressive,” recalled Manalang, who finished the game with 16 points and four assists.
“That’s what I’m good at, getting my shot off and trying to make good plays for my teammates.”
He had bared his heart out all game long, with 12 of his points coming from downtown. However, the Soaring Falcons still fell short, failing to overcome DLSU’s fourth quarter storm that ultimately robbed Adamson of a chance to live to fight another day, 75-82.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Filipino-American, who came back home back in 2015. Usually a sight of calm, this time he did not hide the pain he was feeling. This was not the college basketball exit he had imagined for himself.
“I thought we were gonna go all the way. Since day one, I believed that we are contenders. It was very emotional [inside]. We are a family, we all wanted the same thing. We all wanted to go to the finals and we came up short so yeah it was emotional, I knew that,” he said.
To add salt to their wounds, the Adamson community felt like they weren’t given fair judgment with the calls of the referees, which coach Franz Pumaren frankly criticized. But despite the adversity they had faced, Manalang kept his head high and expressed excitement for next year’s Adamson’s stronger stand.
“That’s life, sometimes things don’t go your way but they are gonna bounce back,” he proudly said.
“I will be their cheerleader next year.”
He may have been with Adamson for just two years, but he was an important cog in the university’s Final Four run for two straight years. And he is immensely grateful to the community for giving him a shot to achieve his dreams.
“I came out here when I was 22, so I was already old,” the guard from California reflected.
“I wish I could give Adamson five years but the two years that I had were unforgettable and to be able to make it to the Final Four and being a rookie last year it’s great.”
