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Manuel is PBL’s Best Player of the Conference
(March 28, 2010)

Make way for Pharex B-Complex’s forward Vic Manuel.

Yesterday, the 6-foot-4 Manuel established himself as the PBL’s newest star by winning the Best Player of the Conference award in the 2010 PG Flex Placenta Cup at The Arena.

The 22-year forward from the Philippine School of Business Administration bested the likes of Excelroof's Jimbo Aquino and Cobra Energy Drink's Paul Lee to complete his rise from a mere back-up to become the latest star of the league.

"We we're lucky that the league he played does not have enough exposure at nakuha pa namin siya," said Pharex coach Aboy Castro of Manuel.

Though he was one of the stars in the UCAA and NCRAA where the PSBA Jaguars play, Manuel’s name never rang a bell.

That was until he joined the tryouts of Pharex where assistant coach Jerry Codinera took notice of his potential.

He was not a flash but this silent operator can surely make a difference on the court with his gutsy plays – thanks to his great leaping ability.

Manuel actually finished No. 4 in the statistical points at the end of the elims but he raised his level high enough in the semis to gain the nod of everybody, including the votes from the media.

Manuel, a back-up of former Ateneo star Ford Arao, was also named to the Mythical Five along with Lee, Cobra’s Patrick Cabahug, Excelroof’s Ian Sangalang and Cossack Blue’s JR Taganas.

Blessed with strong upper body strength, the 22-year-old Manuel averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. He registered a career-high 27 points on two occasions - one against sister team Ascof Lagundi last March 6 and the other during his team's 96-83 semifinal win over Cossack Blue last week.

Manuel thus became the second player from a team owned by Pascual Laboratories to bag a BPC award.

Fil-Am Chris Ross bagged the Best Player honors in last year's Unity Cup en route to winning the MVP plum. Ross is now playing in the pro league.

Taganas made it to the Mythical Five after posting 9.1 points and a tournament-leading 15.5 rebounds to help the Spirits reach the Final Four. The former San Beda big man was the only player to produce 10 or more rebounds in every game.

Lee, meanwhile, contributed 20.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 steals as he bailed Cobra out of several scary moments with a number of clutch performances down the stretch.

Cabahug, meanwhile, shot 42-percent from the field to average 19.3 points.

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