Vic Manuel has not yet reached acute form, admits Cariaso

Alaska coach Jeffrey Cariaso is allowing star power forward Vic Manuel to take time to get back in shape while concentrating on things other than offense.

Manuel played just 15 minutes on Tuesday, but was instrumental in the Aces’ opening attack that resulted in a 120-98 loss to Blackwater Elite, the largest margin of victory after 11 days in the PBA bubble.

Although he averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in four games in the PBA Philippine Cup at the University of Angeles Foundation Sports and Cultural Center, Manuel is still in the process of regaining his form.

For Cariaso, it is something that does not worry him much.

“I think yung pinakamahirap during the first part of this bubble is really a conditioner,” Cariaso said. “Like all the other teams, that is also a fight for us. As much as you do some Zoom workouts, I was going yung conditioning you when you’re on the basketball court. He was going yung timing, he was going yung flow, so he’s still trying to get that back.

“I’m trying not to put that burden on and expect him to play 30 minutes every game, even if I wanted to do kaya lang di pa niya kaya,” added Cariaso. “Slowly, we are making him understand that the time is there, make sure he is active on defense, that he is rebounding and then yung on offense, I just talk about offense with him so that he knows his capabilities.”

It also helps that the Aces have gotten solid contributions from their youngest big men, namely rookie Barkley Ebona and Abu Tratter.

Ebona scored a season-high 24 points against Blackwater, while Tratter is averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds this season.

Blackwater’s win was Alaska’s second in a row after opening the conference with losses to TNT and Meralco. Next up for Alaska is the undefeated Rain or Shine on Thursday.