Vic Manuel finally made his Gilas Pilipinas debut on Wednesday evening, as the Filipino dribblers opened their 30th Southeast Asian Games campaign versus Singapore.
And the Alaska Aces star made sure that his first game in a Pilipinas uniform would be a remarkable one.
Manuel played for 10 minutes and 18 seconds, and produced 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting alongside four rebounds. His performance helped power Gilas’ 110-58 demolition of the Singaporeans.
“Well, he is the Muscle Man. And I don’t wanna embarrass him, but he displayed that tonight,” said coach Tim Cone.
“I think he’ll be good at any level, but I think he’s especially good at this level. Obviously, he’s a superstar in the PBA in his own right, but in this level, I think we can use his versatility.
“And that’s the thing we were looking for, and he showed that tonight,” added the PBA’s winningest mentor.
Manuel felt flattered after learning of Cone’s praise. But regarding his performance, the 6-foot-4 forward said that it was just him being ready whenever his name gets called.
“Siyempre nakaka-proud talaga kasi ang ganda ng mga sinabi niya sa ‘kin,” said the 32-year-old Manuel. “Tulad ng sinabi ko kanina, every time na tatawagin niya ‘ko, ready lang ako.
“Kanina galing ako sa third group. ‘Yun, kailangan talaga ready lang ako kasi ang daming best players sa team natin. So kung ano ma-contribute ko, malaking bagay na ‘yun.”
The game had already been decided in the second half, but Manuel still showed aggressiveness in the fourth quarter. He even made one defender fall as he tried to create space at the post.
For Manuel, he wants to carry his performance over the next game, which is on Friday versus Vietnam.
“Para madala natin ‘yan sa mga next game pa natin, kasi madami pa tayong pagdaraanan na games. So ‘yun, mas magandang baon ‘yun para sa next game.”
