LETRAN star guard Titing Manalili had been looking forward to their Pool A crossover matchups, but a hand injury might force him to watch from the sidelines.
Manalili missed their 82-81 loss to Arellano that gave them their first taste of defeat on Monday after spraining his right hand in their match against Emilio Aguinaldo College.
He finished that game with seven points, 14 assists, five rebounds, and four steals despite the injury. But the reigning Rookie of the Year started feeling the pain afterward and had difficulty moving his hand the following day.
READ: Arellano outlasts Titing-less Letran in battle of unbeaten teams
“Ongoing naman yung rehab ko. Feel bad lang ako kasi hindi ko natulungan yung team sa mga gano’ng situation,” Manalili said.
The 6-foot playmaker, averaging 11 points, 10.3 assists and 4.3 steals, is expected to miss two to four weeks according to his doctor, putting his availability for the Knights’ upcoming games against San Beda, Jose Rizal University, Mapúa, Benilde, and Lyceum in doubt.
And that's what hurts Manalili the most.
“Sobrang crucial kasi yun talaga yung pinaghahandaan ko na mga team,” he said.
“Noong nalaman ko yung timeline, medyo nalungkot ako kasi talagang gusto ko na sila makalaban bago pa pagpasok sa elimination.”
Instead of helping his team on the floor, the floor general had to watch as Letran missed a game-winning opportunity against still-unbeaten Arellano.
Still, he sees the loss as an early wake-up call for the Knights, especially with a tougher schedule ahead.
“Mas mabuti na nangyari ito ng maaga,” Manalili said.
“Para ma-figure out namin, mabigyan namin ng solution yung mga ganitong moments.”
Manalili also made sure to remind his teammates to stay composed, particularly after seeing them struggle with their decision-making and rebounding against the Chiefs.
“Need pa ng more improvements pa para sa team. Kasi daming lapses namin, mga decision making namin,” he said.
Despite the loss, Chad Gammad and Justine Cargo stepped up in his absence, with both tallying 23 and 20 points, respectively.
For now, Manalili will focus on his recovery and hope to return sooner than the projected timeline.
Until then, he can only watch, recover, and trust the rest of the Knights to step up in his absence.
“Everything happens for a reason. Parang yung ibang guards mag-step up din sila. We just need to move forward.”
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