During the past two Southeast Asian Games, Gilas Pilipinas Men have had to overcome major hurdles to assemble a complete roster.
In the 2023 edition in Cambodia, the tournament coincided with professional league schedules, while this year’s Games were affected by eligibility issues, including the barring of naturalized Filipinos and players who failed to secure a Philippine passport before the age of 16.
Despite those challenges, the two SEA Games shared a common denominator: an Adamsonian was selected as one of the amateur standouts tapped from the UAAP.
Jerom Lastimosa was chosen to be part of Gilas’ “Redeem Team” in 2023, while Cedrick Manzano earned a spot in Gilas’ “C Team” for this year’s campaign.
The back-to-back selections are a testament to the program being run by Nash Racela, who has been at the helm of the Soaring Falcons since UAAP Season 84.
“Of course, Adamson is very proud that we were able to contribute to the national cause,” Racela told Tiebreaker Times.
“But it’s not just Jerom and Ced who the community is proud of,” the former UAAP champion coach added, noting that the Ana Santiago-coached RP Blu Girls dominated the softball competition, Shaina Nitura was part of the Alas Pilipinas Women’s team, while Adamson High School product Hussein Lorana captured gold in the men’s 800-meter race.
“Now, everyone is taking notice of the athletics program we have at Adamson.”
(C) POC Pool
Like Lastimosa before him, Manzano played a pivotal role in Gilas Men’s gold-medal run.
The 6-foot-5 workhorse, who was selected over NCAA MVP Allen Liwag to help man the paint, was tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best big man night in and night out during the week-long tournament.
In the final against Thailand, Manzano helped limit burly 6-foot-8 center Emmanuel Ejesu, who finished with just 13 points and eight rebounds.
“Malaking bagay ito for experience ni Ced heading into the pros because the SEA Games has elite competition and naka-deliver siya,” Racela said.
“He proved that he belongs sa mga elite players and, hopefully, tumaas yung ‘stock’ niya after this. He also represented Adamson really well.”
(C) Adamson University
Following the 2023 SEA Games, Adamson retired Lastimosa’s No. 7 jersey, ensuring it would never be worn again.
Will the university do the same for Manzano’s No. 10? Racela believes it should be considered.
“Kung titignan natin, they are the two who helped define our culture for the past cycle, di ba? Both stayed loyal to Adamson and pinaglaban talaga nila yung school not just in the UAAP but also in international competitions,” Racela opined.
“Though they were not able to win the UAAP championship, they gave the nation a gold medal in the SEA Games which is the ultimate goal of the UAAP — to develop national team players. So why not?”
