If you were to look at the game tape of Letran guard Jonathan Manalili, the one word you would describe his type of play would be flashy.
A floor general in his own right, the reigning NCAA Rookie of the Year is known for the kind of passes that would make his teammates – and himself – look good, but it could also make his coach scratch his head.
Against the San Sebastian Stags on Friday evening, Manalili’s court vision was on full display, with the court general throwing out pinpoint outlet passes with deadly accuracy, pocket passes, and at one point, a no-look dime right to Chad Gammad for the layup.
Offensively, Manalili also had a couple of highlight plays, where he walked on the air, absorbed the harm and hit the layup.
In the runaway 99-62 win, Manalili finished with 14 points, nine assists and five steals, but committed a game-high eight turnovers.
After the game, Knights head coach Allen Ricardo said that trust is the name of the game between him and his star guard.
While there are times that the between-the-leg, no-look passes lead to turnovers, he knows Manalili will be able to make up for it.
‘Hindi exactly talaga hinahayaan [ang risky plays], pero alam ko, alam ni Jonathan how he plays the game. And minsan, may mga pagkakataon, siyempre too fancy, prone sa turnover. I give it to him. Kilala ko naman siya eh. I mean, kaya niyang bawiin yun,’ Ricardo told Philstar.com.
‘So, we both trust each other. But hindi naman parang gawing issue natin yung eight turnovers. But, yun lang, manageable yun. Kaya niyang i-improve yun.’
Still, Ricardo said that sometimes, he tells Manalili to be more in control, especially when the game goes to deep waters.
‘But siyempre, what I’m trying to say is, hindi pepwedeng ganoon, especially with the crucial moments. What if ang ganda nga ng game niya but because of that fancy pass na na-lay-up ng kalaban, like dikitan. So, sa akin, more of our relationship, yun din yung pinanghahawakan ko sa kanya, siya din,’ he added.
He joked that sometimes, when the turnovers pile up, he just closes his eyes.
And while he had eight turnovers on Friday, in Letran’s first game in the season against the Perpetual Help Altas, Manalili had eight assists against two turnovers.
Amid the high-risk, high-reward assists, Ricardo emphasized that this is just the second year of Manalili, and he still has a lot to improve on.
‘Ano naman, siyempre, constant reminder. Alam mo, second year pa lang ni Jonathan. So, siyempre, bata pa rin yan at the end of the day. So, just keep on guiding him,’ he said.
‘Minsan niya, dahil nga sa bilis ng laro. siyempre, meron kaming sa transition. Meron na kaming ito na yung gagawin namin. So, may mga pagkakataon na yun yung mga decision making niya. It affects how he decides. So, it causes turnovers to us. But, again, katulad ng sinabi ko, hindi big deal sa akin yun, sa ngayon,’ he added.
‘But I know he knows. Kasi unang titignan niya ilan yung assist niya at turnover yun. Lagi siya. So, manageable naman yun. Maaayos pa namin.’
After the San Sebastian game, Manalili himself said that he was not satisfied of his performance due to the turnovers.
‘Pero yun, part of the game. Move on ako and syempre pagbutihan ko pa sa next game kumbaga para maiwasan. Sabi ko nga, tao lang ako, nagkakamali. Pero yun, challenge ko sa sarili ko kung paano ako malagpasan yun. Hindi na maulit yun, syempre,’ the 22-year-old guard said in a separate interview.
He bared that while sometimes, he gets scolded by Ricardo whenever he commits a turnover, but the trust remains between the two.
‘Yun naman talaga yun. Kumbaga, yun din ang iniisip ko, yung tiwala na binibigay sa akin ng coach Allen. Kumbaga, feel ko, wala na makakatumbas nun. Hindi naman sa ibang coaches. Yung isang team,’ he said.
‘So grabe talaga confidence binibigay sa akin ng Coach Allen, tiwala.’
With Manalili steering the Letran offense, the Knights are currently holding a 2-0 win-loss record. They will face the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals next on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.