The game against former MVP Clint Escamis has always been a date circled on Titing Manalili’s calendar.
Even back in his high school days with the Letran Squires, Manalili had always admired Escamis’ game and once even asked him for a photo when he spotted him outside the FilOil EcoOil Centre.
That’s why heading into his first NCAA encounter with Escamis and Mapua University, Manalili made sure to come prepared as his Letran Knights sought to keep their winning streak alive.
And Manalili did just that, delivering a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists on top of six rebounds and a steal as the Knights eked out an 85-82 overtime win on Tuesday for their fourth straight win after a 0-3 start.
"Sabi kasi nila coach na iba ‘yung tao at sabi ko kailangan kong magtrabaho lalo na sa depensa kasi nga si Clint iba talaga," rookie sensation Manalili said.
"Sabi ko kailangan kong ma-stop ‘to, hindi lang puro opensa kasi walang kalalabasan ‘to kung talo kami. Hats off naman ako sa kanya, tinrabaho niya lahat."
(The coaches said that he was different and I said I need to work hard, especially on defense, because Clint is different... I said, I needed to get stops, not just all offense because this will come to nothing if we lose. Hats off to him, he worked for everything.)
That wasn’t the only thing that lit a spark in Manalili.
With Mapua clinging to a 78-76 lead late in regulation, Manalili earned a trip to the line after a foul by Cyrus Cuenco. That's when Escamis leaned in for a few words for the first-year guard.
"Nagfi-freethrow kasi ako tapos may sinabi siya sa akin na parang ‘Dito mo patunayan, bata’," Manalili shared.
"Sabi ko naman kailangan kong patunayan kasi Rookie MVP ‘yan, kailangan kong ipakita sa kanya na kaya ko pa rin makipagsabayan kahit nasa college na."
(I was shooting the free throw and he said something to me, like 'This is where you prove it, kid'... I said I really needed to prove something because he's a Rookie MVP, I need to show him I can keep up even in the college level.)
Manalili was hardly affected and eventually made both his freebies to send the game into overtime.
But Manalili has nothing but respect for Escamis, whom he considers one of the players he looks up to even as an opponent.
"Naalala ko dati nu’ng high school pa lang ako nagkita kami ni Clint doon sa tapat, nagpa-picture ako sa kanya kasi iba talaga siya gumalaw," Manalili, a two-time high school champion, said.
"Wala, gano’n talaga ‘yung buhay, darating ‘yung araw na makakalaban ko rin siya. Pinagtrabahuhan ko rin naman. Marami naman akong nilo-look up lalo na sa mga kalaban ko ngayon."
(I remember in high school, I saw Clint outside, I asked for a picture because he really moves different... But that's life, the day will come that I have to play against him. I worked hard for this. I have a lot of people that I looked up to that I have to play against now.)
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
