St. Clare pumped up to stretch Naascu reign

Under the tutelage of a young but well-accomplished coach, St. Clare will set off for a breakthrough when the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (Naascu) basketball gets under way Tuesday.

Jino Manansala is hoping to lead the Saints to a third straight crown, something that hasn’t been done in years since University of Manila dominated the league with seven straight championships from 2000.

“We will get the three-peat,” said Manansala, son of former PBA player Jimmy and a member of the University of Santo Tomas’ UAAP championship teams in the 1990s.

“The team is very motivated but we can’t discount other schools as well,” added Manansala, who is also thankful for the support of school president Dr. Ernesto Jay Adalem.