MORE than a teammate, Sean Manganti considers Simon Camacho as a brother.
Manganti-Camacho connection
To his surprise, the two of them eventually found themselves reunited in the PBA after forging a strong bond while in college with Adamson.
“Oh my God. He’s my brother, literally my brother. I’m here for him, no matter what,” he said when asked about how fate brought them together again at Phoenix.
The two of them went to different paths to be where they are now and get to relive that college feeling while with the Falcons.
Manganti was acquired by Phoenix in a trade with NorthPort as part of the Vic Manuel-Sean Anthony deal, while Camacho was signed as a free agent following an impressive showing in the inaugural staging of the FilBasket, where he emerged as MVP.
Although relatively new to the team, Manganti and Camacho showed what they can exactly do on the court together in the Fuel Masters’ 110-99 whipping of Blackwater for a second straight win in the Governors Cup on Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena.
Manganti had his breakout game with the Fuel Masters with 17 points, including seven in the pivotal fourth, while Camacho added 10, all in the second half in his debut game in the league.
The two alternated providing scoring and hustle in the second half that allowed Phoenix to thwart the repeated comebacks of Blackwater.
The 27-year-old Manganti, a first-round pick of NorthPort (8th overall) in the 2019 draft, said he’s just appreciating the opportunity given him by Phoenix management and coach Topex Robinson to play his game.
More than that, the Fil-American from San Diego, California is very happy with the way things turned out for Camacho, who’s been signed to a one-conference contract by the Fuel Masters after being left unsigned by TNT as a third-round pick in the same rookie draft as Manganti.
“He deserves that. He’s been working so hard. I’m so happy for him,” said Manganti.
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