During the PBA bubble, Vic Manuel led Alaska in scoring in the Philippine Cup with almost 16 points per game, alongside six rebounds and nearly three assists.
In short, the “Muscle Man” was the main man for the Aces.
Now that he is with the Phoenix Super LPG, Manuel said joining a team that is loaded with talent makes the work easier for him and he is willing to accept whatever his role is with the Fuel Masters.
“Oo naman. Willing naman ako mag-sacrifice ng role kung yun yung dapat. Saka hindi makaka-bigat sa team,” said Manuel as he guested Saturday on the weekly sports show The Chasedown on One PH over Cignal TV.
“Kailangan tulungan ko sila e, yun ang magiging role ko talaga sa Phoenix.”
A few days after trading Calvin Abueva to Magnolia Hotshots Pambansang Manok, Phoenix surprised the local basketball scene again when it obtained Manuel from Alaska for Brian Heruela and draft picks.
Manuel, who will start practicing with Phoenix on Monday, will join a team the includes Matthew Wright, Jason Perkins, Justin Chua, RJ Jazul and new acquisition Chris Banchero.
“Sa Alaska sa akin dumadating ang bola. Dito sa Phoenix madaming pwedeng humawak, madaming puwedeng umiskor anytime. Kung ano lang yung magiging support ko sa kanila, saka kung ano yung makakabuti sa magiging takbo ng Phoenix,” he said.
Originally selected No. 9 overall by NorthPort (formerly GlobalPort) during the 2012 PBA Rookie Draft, Phoenix is Manuel’s fifth team after his stints with Meralco, Air21 and Alaska.
But unlike from the past when he was dealt from one team to another, Manuel feels his transition would be easy.
Not only he is reunited with former Alaska teammates Banchero and Jazul as well as Jake Pscual, Manuel will also have coach Topex Robinson, his former coach in the PBA D-League.
“Sa D-League, diyan ako nagsimula sa kanya. Familiar na din ako sa system ni coach Topex. Siguro hindi naman ako mahihirapan i-apply sarili ko dun (with the system),” said Manuel.