IT'S not unusual to see former professional athletes transition into coaching after hanging up the jersey for the final time.
What’s rare, though, is that we see athletes begin their coaching careers while still suiting up and clocking in minutes.
Alas, those are the two jobs that Vic Manuel currently juggles.
Aside from suiting up as a power forward for the Pangasinan Heatwaves of the MPBL, he also serves as deputy for the newly-instated PSP Gymers of the WMPBL.
But he took it up a notch by being the head coach of his self-named basketball club that recently played in the 2025 Smart NBTC Wildcard tournament.
Vic Manuel Basketball Club swept their pool in the Gameville leg, going undefeated before concluding their tournament after the 73-77 loss to Fil-Am Nation Select San Francisco in the quarterfinals.
According to Manuel, taking the tournament that far was already a surprise in itself, and was already a positive step forward in their inaugural participation in the 19-under league.
“Syempre unang una, first time namin sumali, so masaya ako sa pinakitang performance nung mga bata. Hindi namin expect na makakarating kami sa quarters at nasweep pa namin yung pool bracket namin. So dun palang masaya na ako, wala na akong hihilingin pa.”
“Hanggang dulo lumaban yung mga bata ko eh. Medyo nashort kami, andami ding mga mistakes, pero nakita ko yung puso nila eh, so ayun, dun palang talagang matutuwa kana eh,” he said.
Muscle Man leaving his imprints on the sidelines
Outside of giving the players the platform to increase their chances of making the pros, instilling the right values was also one of the biggest motivations for the former PBA Journeyman.
As he stated, “Syempre nung inistart kong ibuo itong ball club namin, kasi unang una, masaya ako kasi nasheshare ko yung mga nalalaman ko sa basketball, especially yung good attitude, yun ang una kong nireremind sa kanila.”
And with the performance of VMBC, he was all the more inspired to keep the program going.
“Itutuloy lang namin ‘to, hindi man kami pinalad sa NBTC, marami pa namang mga developmental league na sasalihan at makakasama,” he vowed.
For Manuel, imparting his knowledge and wisdom of the game is an invaluable pleasure that comes with the job of coaching, which is why he decided to explore it in the first place.
“Kaya nagawa ko ito tapos medyo nakahiligan ko na magcoach ng mga bata, gusto ko in the future may makita ako na isa sa kanila na naglalaro sa collegiate basketball or isa sa mga pro league," he said.
“Malay natin, diba? Hindi malabong mangyari yan, lalo na yung mga bata gusto naman maglaro. So malay natin swertehin yung isa sa kanila na makaangat din sa mga pro leagues natin."
But as is with any passion project, Manuel still admits that there are struggles in wearing different hats.
“Sobrang hirap. Syempre hinahati ko nalang din yung oras ko, pero hindi lang naman ako. May mga coaching staff kami na tumutulong din sa mga bata para mas mabuild sila, lalo na yung kumpiyansa tsaka yung enjoyment nila sa paglalaro ng basketball.”
“Kailangan tutukan ko pa rin sila eh kahit may career pa ako sa paglalaro ng basketball, tapos yung other side, nagcocoach na ako sa kanila,” he explained.
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