FOR the first time in a long while, Titing Manalili will have to sit with a feeling he isn't used to.
In high school, the former Squires guard grew accustomed to championship nights especially after winning back-to-back titles in Seasons 98 and 99.
The court general was used to cutting down nets, celebrating titles, and ending seasons on top. Winning was the norm. Anything less barely registered.
However, college had other plans.
Manalili’s rookie year in the seniors division took him into unfamiliar territory, as the Knights finished as runners-up after being swept by San Beda in the NCAA Season 101 finals on Saturday.
“Siyempre, malungkot kasi ‘di namin na-achieve yung gusto namin,” Manalili said.
“Pero ganoon talaga yung buhay. Minsan manalo, minsan matalo.”
READ: Undeniable San Beda sweeps Letran to win NCAA title number 24
It was a simple statement, but one that revealed a major shift since for the first time, Manalili wasn’t celebrating a title - he was processing defeat.
The adjustment from juniors to seniors hit hard, especially on the biggest stage. The Cebuano guard admitted that the Finals at the collegiate level was a completely different challenge.
“Siyempre, yung mga kalaban ko, malalakas na yung katawan and experience na rin sila. Marami na silang champion players,” he stressed.
Unlike in juniors, where talent and chemistry often carried the day, college demanded more - physically, mentally, and emotionally - and against a veteran championship core, those lessons arrived quickly.
Despite the loss, Manalili remained focused on perspective as much of that came from head coach Allen Ricardo, whose sacrifices were not lost on the rookie.
“Sobrang proud si Coach Allen sa amin,” Manalili shared.
“May family na siya, pero minsan kulang yung oras niya dahil tinututukan niya kami. Gusto lang talaga naming bumawi sa kanya.”
There were no excuses, only acceptance.
“Wala kaming regrets. Alam namin na ginawa namin yung lahat,” he uttered.
Even as cramps seized his body down the stretch of the do-or-die game, Manalili refused to sit.
“Gusto kong mag-stay. Halos buong katawan ko na yung pinulikat, pero lumaban ako,” the playmaker recalled.
“Dugong Letranista eh.”
Rather than rushing toward redemption, Manalili insists the next step is reflection, not revenge.
"'Di pa ako gigil bumawi. Panoorin ko ulit yung game. Kung ano yung mali namin, ano yung mali ko.”
With new rookies coming in - including familiar faces from his juniors days - Manalili understands that his role will evolve.
Leadership, he admits, will now be heavier.
“Different yung college. Physical, mental, kailangan maging matibay,” he said.
And while the season ended without the championship he had grown used to in his younger years, the newcomer did not walk away empty-handed.
The 6-foot guard finished the season with a silver medal, Rookie of the Year honors, and selections to both the All-Defensive Team and the Mythical Team.
It wasn’t the ending he envisioned, but it was proof that even in learning how to lose and it underscored just how impactful Manalili’s transition to the seniors level had been.
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