Twenty-six-year-old Jett Manuel, who graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP), turned in his Barangay Ginebra jersey last Friday, January 4, after only one season in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to pursue his engineering career.
Manuel, who averaged a total of 1.9 points per game last season, was also part of the squad that led the Kings to winning the PBA Commissioner’s Cup last year. He was the 12th pick of the 2017 draft and signed a one-year contract, but recently decided not to renew his term. In his most recent Instagram post, Manuel called his career “definitely short, but definitely sweet” thanking his high school team Xavier, his college team UP, and his pro team Ginebra, along with his coaches, teammates, family, and fans. Manuel stated, “Choosing to retire wasn’t easy but I’m excited for everything that lies ahead. I’ll always be connected to the game of basketball, but in a different form this time.,” referring to his pursuit of an engineering career.
According to Ginebra head coach Tim Cone, “[Manuel] wasn’t secure with his future [in the PBA]. He felt he needed to get his future going right away and getting to take advantage of his engineering degree,” referring to Manuel passing the board exams in 2017. Coach Tim Cone continued, “We definitely wish him well. He’s a great kid. I truly think he has a future in the PBA. But we all have different paths. We gotta respect that.” Manuel’s coach also explained that he “regrets” not giving the 6-foot-1 player enough playing time “so that he could really feel good about his career,” adding, “I think his parents didn’t get a chance to feel good about his career. The only problem is he had a bunch of guys in front of him, bunch of veterans in front of him. It would take some patience for him.”
However, the veteran coach concluded, “I told him I left the door open. If he gets bored with civilian life, he can go back to our army and keep battling with us. But that will be on him.”
A few days after his announcement of retirement, Manuel revealed that his final hurrah will be for team Mighty Sports in the 2019 Dubai International Tournament next month, where he will be joining NBA veteran Lamar Odom and Ginebra import Justin Brownlee under Coach Charles Tiu.