Happy Birthday, Jaime "Jimmy" Manansala! ( Oct 31 )

Happy Birthday, Jaime "Jimmy" Manansala

1978 PBA Rookie direct hire
1978 PBA Rookie of the Year
4x PBA champion
University of the East Red Warriors forward
13-season PBA veteran
3-PBA team player
St. Clare College coaching consultant
1977 Amateur Player of the Year
1977 MICAA Most Valuable Player
1977 Kuwait Asian Youth gold medalist

Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)

Shell Rimula X Diesel may have been beaten to a pulp by San Miguel Beer, 4-1 in the recent PBA Reinforced conference shootout, but the Oilers have nothing to be ashamed of by finishing second. Given up for lost after two dismal conferences, the Oilers, handled by new mentor Dante Silverio, stunned everybody by barging into the finals of the Reinforced conference and squaring off with powerhouse San Miguel. Of course, the balance was heavily tilted on the Beermen's side but the Oilers gave a good account of themselves all the way. If there's one player whose exploits parallel that of his team, it's Jimmy Manansala. Like the Shell ballclub, Manansala's career took a nosedive in the first two conferences. But accorded trust by a new mentor, Manansala bloomed once more in the Reinforced and became part of Silverio's starting unit. Actually, his role was unenviable as he was assigned the task of putting the cuffs on Avelino 'Samboy' Lim who was eventually named Most Valuable Player of the series. Quicker than Freddie Hubalde and with more hustle at that, Manansala tried his darndest best to live up to the expectations of his coach. And aside from his defensive qualities, Manansala also was a scoring threat. After all, he was once one of the top riflemen of the league before his career waned. In the finals, Manansala shot at a 7.4 clip per outing. Aside from that, he also had four rebounds per contest. Definitely, that's a far cry from the Manansala of old. But he said he has to start his comeback bid somewhere. Prior to the finals, he was averaging ten points a game in ten games previously played in the third conference. A one-time Rookie of the Year awardee, Manansala had a bright future ahead of him in the pro league. He was the ace gunner of Yco-Tanduay before he missed a couple of crucial free throws in one game which cast doubts on his person. He resented that mistrust by his coach and moved over to Great Taste where he played second fiddle to Ricardo Brown. His offensive talents took a backseat as a result as he concentrated on defense. Two years ago, he figured in a Great Taste-Shell trade which eventually sent him along with Manny Victorino to the Oilers in favor of Philip Cezar, Bernie Fabiosa and the rights to top rookie Allan Caidic. And then bad luck hounded Jimmy as irregular palpitations of the heart put a damper on his game. A doctor told him that playing basketball could worsen his heart condition and indeed he took this seriously. So seriously that although he had already recovered from the illness, he still did not want to take a gamble and go back to the hardcourt. Finally, he mustered enough strength to go back to the sport he loved and succeeded in staging a comeback with the proddings of friends. "Psychological na lang ang sakit ko. Natakot lang ako dahil tumaas ang blood pressure ko. Naging 160 over 100. Binigyan nila ako ng maraming gamot," reminisced s Manansala. He added, "Mahirap ding bumalik dahil gnoong umpisa lagi akong nahihilo. Nahihirapan akong huminga. Tapos meron ding r pressure dahil kailangang makapagpakita ako ng maganda. But I'm beginning to adjust to the system again."  Jimmy, who is married to the former Niña Yumang, has five kids: Gino 9; John Paul, 9, Jaime Jr., 7; Janice Ann, 6; and Joana t Joyce, 3. Early this year, Jimmy also tried his hand at politics when he ran for mayor in a town in Pampanga. He lost that battle, though, and that compounded his frustrations. "I entered politics para lang ako malibang. Wala kasi akong ginagawa dahil hindi nga ako naglalaro. But it was a good experience. At least nalaman ko yung sentiments ng mga tao. Hindi pala bagay sa akin ang pulitika. Hanggang basketball lang talaga ako," said the 31 year old Manansala whose contract with Shell expires in December1989. "Mayroon pa akong one year sa contract ko pero gusto ko sanang magpa-extend hanggang three years. Pero siyempre, it's up to management to decide. Gusto ko lang talagang makapagpakita nang husto dito sa Shell. This team has the potential to win championships." Asked to compare Joe Lipa with Silverio, he assessed, "Lipa is so strict. Napakahirap ng training niya. Silverio wants a running game. Sanay naman tayo diyan. Gusto rin niya yung defense ang importante. I think I like his patterns more dahil yan ang forte ko." How does he see his future in the pro league? "At 31, bata pa tayo. kaya lang, siyempre para tayong nagsisimula ulit after a long layoff. Parang rookie ba. E di, I'll treat myself like a rookie a hungry rookie na gusto talagang sumikat." With that in mind, Manansala promises more excitement in 1989. He has made it back. There's no reason for him not to move forward.