It’s almost ironic that the man who consistently broke University of the Philippines’ heart got his soul crushed by the very team he had a knack of hurting.
Sean Manganti bid goodbye to Adamson University after Soaring Falcons lost to the Fighting Maroons, 89-87, in a heartbreaker in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament Final Four Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Left in tears and carrying a bevy of emotions, Manganti was the personification of grief as he walked out of the Big Dome having played his last game in the UAAP.
“I love you forever,” said Manganti of Adamson. “The school and the team will always be a big part of me, they are the reasons for who I am today. They have shaped me into the man I am today and I hope the feeling is mutual.”
Manganti had struck terror on UP for both Season 80 and 81 as he knocked down clutch basket after clutch basket to beat the Maroons.
He made the game-winner in the Soaring Falcons’ 73-71 first round win in Season 80 and he replicated that feat in the two teams’ first meeting in Season 81 for Adamson’s 69-68 victory.
His last dagger was when he drilled a clutch three that stopped UP’s 22-7 run and help the Soaring Falcons to an 80-72 win in the second round of Season 81.
A man of Manganti’s caliber surely drew fear among the Fighting Maroons, but his last game against UP was a complete struggle as he finished with six points, on 1-of-7 shooting, five rebounds, three assists, and four turnovers.
He was also in foul trouble at the start of the game, getting whistled twice in the first quarter alone.
Still, Manganti hopes that Adamson’s community will remember him as a fighter.
“I just hope I can be remembered that I left it all on the floor, I gave it all to Adamson, I gave my heart to Adamson, and I sacrificed everything for Adamson no matter what,” said Manganti.