TITING MANALILI'S PASS-FIRST WAYS THE ENGINE BEHIND LETRAN'S RUN

AMONG today’s most fascinating collegiate players, Letran rookie Jonathan 'Titing' Manalili stands out in many ways, and "bakaw" is certainly not one of them.

He can score, averaging 13.7 points per game, but for a true point guard like him, putting the ball through the hoop is actually the least of his priorities.

Across 17 games, Manalili tallied 159 assists for an average of 9.4 per outing. He’s the league’s runaway dimes leader, with the next best, Tony Ynot, sitting at 66.

This season, he has become a fixture on social media with clips of his tight handles, bold setups, and no-look passes — including the now-famous ‘mata sa likod’ that drew thousands of reactions online.

PHOTO: Hero Dela Pena

READ: Magical Manalili makes weary Letran community believe once more

But behind the flair, Manalili insists his approach is simple.

"Hindi ko need umiscore, ang need ko is paano ko pagagalingin mga kasama ko, teammates ko," he told SPIN.ph.

That mentality has helped push Letran back into the Season 101 finals, setting up a long-awaited rematch with rival San Beda — their first in six years.

Manalili doesn’t mind if he isn’t the Knights’ top scorer, as long as their offense flows the right way. 

In fact, Letran's won more games with him scoring in single digits and dropping a huge number of assists than him dropping more than 20 but having minimal assists. 

"Important mamasa talaga lalo na point guard ako, need ko yun and magfacilitatie sa game," he said. "Role ko is ma-control yung game namin."

With that steady, selfless approach, the rookie floor general hopes to help bring the glory back to Muralla.

2025-12-08T08:15:05Z