Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Vic Manuel is playing the best basketball of his life in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
But his ascent as one of the best big men in the league behind only to four-time MVP June Mar Fajardo began two years ago during a conversation with his head coach Alex Compton.
“I told Vic, I literally told Vic, I don’t know if it’s two and a half or three years ago. I told him, ‘Think about your career, where you want to be, who do you want to emulate?’” Compton recalled.
“Be Danny I,” Compton told Manuel, referring to Danny Ildefonso, who was one of top players in the league during his time at the start of the 2000s as the cornerstone of the San Miguel Beermen. “Ask Vic. I don’t know if he remembers, if it was an exit interview, or what it was, it was a couple of years ago, I told him you wanna model Danny I, the way that he played, the teammate that he was, he was a winner.”
That was only the start.
When Louie Alas, who was an assistant at Alaska that time, was appointed head coach of the Phoenix Fuel Masters at the end of last season, the Aces had to look for new coaches to fill the void.
“Life happens and I had a chance to hire Danny I and we jumped at it right away,” said Compton.
With Ildefonso, Alaska not only had a coach but a mentor to the players as well.
“The thing is, some of the greats in the PBA and there’s no question Danny is one of the all time greats, some of the greats are not great teachers,” Compton said. “But Danny is a work ethic and a technique guy.”
Ildefonso worked with Manuel right away. Before and after practice, Manuel has to make 70 shots from the perimeter and 30 shots from the 3-point line.
“It’s really exhausting but it’s a very big help. I’m not just a post player anymore. I can also face up and my perimeter shots are now falling,” Manuel said in Filipino. “I learn so much from him. He really focuses on teaching me and he always reminds me about what I need to do every dead ball.”
“I see to it that I listen to him. He’s really a big help to our team. I was able to raise my game when he arrived.”
All the extra hours spent are showing in just Ildefonso’s second conference as part of Alaska’s coaching staff.
Through seven games, Manuel is averaging 24.9 points on 60 percent shooting from the field despite taking 17 attempts and logging only 21 minutes per game.
While Manuel’s torrid play has been satisfying for him and the Aces, it has been devastating for the opposing teams, most especially to the Magnolia Hotshots on Sunday night.
The Hotshots had no answer for Manuel, who lit up for a career-high 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field, including 17 in the fourth quarter alone.
“The effort was there. It’s just that Vic caught fire. Even if we collapsed on him and had [defensive] schemes against him, he just caught fire especially in the fourth quarter,” Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero admitted.
Ildefonso, an eight-time PBA champion and two-time MVP, had nothing but praise for Manuel.
“First of all, I won’t be able to make him do all those things if he’s not willing to cooperate and do the extra work. Before and after practice we shoot. I just make him do what he’s going to feel during the game,” Ildefonso said.
Ildefonso said coaching a team has never been a dream of his, but being a mentor to the current players like Manuel is.
“I just want to share my experience and help my fellow players not only how to play the game but also outside the court. That’s what I really want.”