Making the NCAA Juniors Basketball Finals for the second-straight year, Colegio de San Juan de Letran has the unique opportunity to cop back-to-back titles for the first time since 1927 and 1928, nearly 100 years ago.
However, for Jonathan Moses Manalili, he simply wants to close out his career for the Squires with one last trophy to add to his collection.
The Cebuano, fondly known as Titing, averaged a respectable 13.7 points per game during the eliminations, and popped off with a 19-point, 10-assist double-double in their crucial semifinal bout against San Sebastian.
“Siguro, yun lang talaga ang mission ko and ‘di naman siguro ako naghahabol sa points. Gusto ko lang mapasahan ‘yung teammates ko, maka-iskor sila, dahil masaya rin po ako doon,” the graduating Squire shared.
Without key players from last season like Andy Gemao, Manalili has been taking up a new role as one of the backbones of the team as their leader in Season 99.
“Siguro po, hindi po ganoong kadali maging leader. Tina-try ko rin ang best ko kasi binigay po sa’kin ang position to na mag-lead,” the heady floor general said.
“Biggest challenge namin kasi nawala si Andy, daming nawala, and kinaya po namin.”
Going up against one of only two teams that thumped the Squires during the eliminations, Manalili noted that they have a lot of preparations underway as they enter the Finals on Saturday.
“Magviviewing po kami, titingan namin yung mga mali naming ginawa. I-improve din po namin yung depensa po namin dahil doonn din po kami natalo kasi parang mali yung body language na binigay [namin],” Manalili concluded.
Although he admitted that bagging another championship would be a tough task without last season’s veterans, the Cebu native doubled his trust in the team’s young stalwarts.
Additionally, Manalili asserted that anything is possible if Letran wants it as bad as anyone else does if they come out with the same hunger they did when they won in Season 98.
“Gusto lang po namin magpasalamat sa Panginoon, focus lang po kami sa Finals, and ipapakita lang namin ang best namin.”
