Despite being a rookie in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament, Ateneo de Manila University center Kristian Porter showed his capability against one of the league’s premier big men – Adamson University’s Cedrick Manzano.
In the Blue Eagles’ 60-51 victory over the Soaring Falcons on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, Porter scored eight points compared to Manzano’s 14.
However, the rookie managed to out-rebound Manzano, 10 to 7.
For the former Gilas Youth member, competing against the Soaring Falcons’ senior center was a formidable challenge – one that he believes will provide valuable lessons for his growth in the UAAP.
“Cedrick’s a really talented big,” Kristian, the younger brother of former Blue Eagle Kris.
He was eager to face Manzano, someone he had been compared to since entering the league.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“When I finally got to play against him, I felt so many emotions: being happy and being frustrated. But overall, I just did what I had to do and pulled through,” the 19-year-old Cebuano added.
He recognized that while he fell short in some areas, these experiences would motivate him to improve.
“For sure, I’m gonna get a lot of learnings from this. There were patches where I fell short, and those are going to bother me for a while until I finally fix them and get better.”
At 6-foot-5, Porter may be considered undersized for a center in the UAAP, especially in an era of foreign student-athlete recruitment.
However, he compensates for his height with tenacity and grit.
As Ateneo ended its three-game losing streak, Porter played a significant role, earning praise from head coach Tab Baldwin.
“This guy over here played big minutes,” Baldwin said. “He played virtually the whole fourth quarter, and he had to. Cedrick’s a tough match-up for anybody. Most teams throw their import at him, and he still does a good job.
“Ports did a great job for us today. Cedrick got a couple of buckets in the fourth, but apart from that, Ports had a big stop when we needed it, along with an offensive rebound and a crucial stick back. That was great.”
