TWENTY-SEVEN years since he made the big move from Ateneo to La Salle, BJ Manalo finally gets a chance to learn under the tutelage of coach Joe Lipa up close.
This time, as commissioners of the 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
"Hopefully, I learn a lot especially from coach Joe," said Manalo, who almost played for Lipa when he was moving up from high school to college, especially as he considered his options off of his time as a Blue Eaglet back in 1999.
He even recalled attending a few practices with the Blue Eagles when the legendary mentor was named as new shot-caller in Katipunan to replace Mark Molina.
Their initial team-up never came to be, however, as he crossed enemy lines and headed to Taft to join the Green Archers.
Fast forward to now and Manalo couldn't help but smile seeing how fate brought them back together thanks to another Lasallian, albeit in a different capacity.
"[Filoil Preseason chairman] coach Virgil [Villavicencio] brought me here to help in the commissionership," he shared.
"It's not really part of my plan. In fact, I've been avoiding this, but I think it comes with age. I've been in management for many years, but this is something for me to have a direct hand in the development of future basketball players here in the Philippines."
Manalo, matalo, magkasama
Actually, this isn't the first time Manalo and Lipa are linking up.
They were together in GlobalPort's formative years in the PBA back in 2012: Manalo as team manager in charge of day-to-day operations, Lipa as consultant assisting head coach Glenn Capacio for one conference.
Now, they are side-by-side overseeing the summer competition which serves as the main preparation for UAAP and NCAA teams ahead of the collegiate season.
READ: Gilas Youth set to mix it up with UAAP teams in Filoil Preseason
Manalo, who is also Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) provincial director for Rizal after briefly working as team manager for Hong Kong Eastern in the PBA last season, is thrilled to return to his amateur basketball roots.
"Being a commissioner is like being a frontliner, but I'm glad that I'm behind legends in basketball," he said.
"It's a wonderful privilege to be in touch with the current players and the current head coaches. This just gives me a connection between the grassroots and the dream of making it to the pros. This is a good opportunity for me to again grow."
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