ON the heels of a down couple of years coming from the highs of a three-peat, Letran has been eagerly awaiting for another shot to redeem itself.
Good thing then that the Knights will be charging into the upcoming NCAA Season 101 armed with their highly touted homegrown product in Titing Manalili.
And living up to his billing as a game-changer in blue-and-red, the Cebuano guard averaged 10.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 boards through the Playtime 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, where they finished as the NCAA bracket's top seed with just one loss in nine elimination round games.
But beyond being the steady hand at the controls Letran has lacked since the days of Fran Yu, the 21 year old will also be leaned upon to lead this dynamic lineup of reliable veterans, talented transferees, and promising recruits.
“Definitely, Jonathan can lead,” head coach Allen Ricardo told SPIN.ph, talking about the young stud with legal name "Jonathan Moses" whom he has been mentoring since high school.
“In fairness to him, talagang napapasunod niya yung mga kuya niya,” he added.
Manalili makes the grade
Placing sixth in the Grand Old League's centennial season still pains the Knights - especially Ricardo, who was in his first year at the helm then.
READ: Letran digs in its heels after NCAA Season 100 heartbreak
Of course, Manalili - the star guard who showed the way in the Squires' back-to-back titles in Seasons 98 and 99 - suddenly being ineligible in his supposed seniors debut due to academic issues threw a wrench into their plans.
And that's exactly why moving forward, Ricardo made it a point to keep reminding his wards to take care of their studies.
“Ang pag-aaral, hindi sila mawawalan diyan. Ang professional career, andiyan lang naman yan, pero kailangang mag-focus sila sa pag-aaral,” he expressed.
Now that's all settled, though, Ricardo expects a more determined crew of Knights come the new season - with his prized playmaker standing at the forefront.
As he put it, “Leadership. That’s one thing na kailangan namin from last year na wala kami."
Make no mistake, however, while a big burden has been placed on Manalili's shoulders, he will have helping hands in veterans Deo Cuajao and Jimboy Estrada, as well as former Perpetual standouts Jun Roque and Mark Omega.
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