TITING Manalili had to make a few pit stops before taking that much deserved rest in the Letran dugout after that vengeful 85-71 win over Jose Rizal University on Saturday.
First up a TV interview with the league coverer even if he wasn’t the best player of that said game. Then he had to make time for the fans sitting courtside who patiently waited for him to finish that interview for a few photo opportunities.
READ: Letran gets back at JRU to keep in step with Group B leaders
But he wasn’t done yet even after leaving the court.
In the tunnel heading to the Playtime Filoil Center’s dugout, he was once again stopped by a few fans who casually handed him a phone and asked for a selfie which the Cebuano guard cordially granted. Then he finally faced a few reporters waiting for him right outside the dugout, showing no signs of fatigue to everyone who wanted a piece of him.
Titing’s fame is certainly skyrocketing right now, and that is something he doesn’t plan on taking for granted.
"Una salamat sa pag punta kasi pinapanood niyo ako,” Manalili said when that topic was brought up in that said interview.
“Pero sana sa buong Letran naman. Sana manood kayo para samin as a team, hindi lang para sakin.“
Slowly but surely, Manalili is looking like the face of not only his team, but for the entire league as well. A league in dire need of someone who’ll carry on the legacies of the Calvin Abuevas, the Scottie Thompsons and the Rhenz Abandos which came before him – players which will have fans go out of their way to watch them live on the court.
And on social media, he’s already undeniable.
Clips of him making beautiful, fancy passes to thread tight angles over an overused soundbed of a sped-up version of a Rey Valera classic has been making rounds on the internet, with sports vloggers all wanting to ride Manalili’s rise to stardom – their reels a sure hit as it would have the shares and interactions reach thousands.
The words ‘true point guard,’ ‘pass-first,’ and ‘leader’ have always surfaced in each clip, making him easily the most discussed player in the NCAA right now.
But while he’s grateful, he’s reluctant about being called as the league’s face as his entire focus is on getting wins for his team, nothing more, nothing less.
“Doon sa bilang face ng [NCAA] parang di ako sang-ayon doon kasi marami namang magagaling diyan,” he said.
“Ano lang ako, basta manalo kami ng team ko okay na ako.”
Manalili the Man
Whether he agrees to it or not, the conversation on him being the poster boy of the oldest collegiate tournament in the country certainly has merit.
In an era where the game has expanded beyond the three-point line, where ankle breakers and aerial acrobatics from dunks to so-called lay-up ‘jellies’ have ruled over the internet, Manalili is the breath of fresh air that the NCAA needs – a court general, someone who raises the floor with his passing.
READ: By letting Titing Manalili decide, Letran finally flips switch
For the season, Manalili is averaging a league best 9.1 assists per game. To show just how far ahead he is among other playmakers in the league, his 91 total assists is 10 more than his closest pursuers in CSB’s Tony Ynot and Mapua’s Clint Escamis combined, with the two players making up for 81.
In Letran's 10 games, he’s reached double digits in assists in half of those – all of those resulting in wins for Letran – and the only time he didn’t breach double digits in a win was in this victory over JRU where he had a relatively quiet game for his standards of eight points, nine assists and two steals.
“Siyempre pag dumating [yung numero] mas-okay. Pero kung hindi naman, kailangan ko pa trabahuhin,” Manalili said of his astronomical assist numbers.
“Kailangan ko pa mag-improve kung pano ko fa-facilitate yung team, mahirap pero gagawin ko lahat ng best ko para sa team.”
At the end of the day, the only numbers which matter to him will be the number of wins Letran will put up on the win column.
And the only ‘title’ that he’ll be willing to celebrate is an NCAA seniors title – face of the league be damned.
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