CEBU, Philippines — Cebuano basketball star Jaybie Mantilla relishes with pride what is by far the two greatest trophies he has ever reaped in his life.
One is his first ever taste of championship success.
And he achieved it in style.
Mantilla stole the limelight as the Zamboanga Sibugay Anak Mindanao Warriors swept the BYB Kapatagan in their best-of-three finals series to rule the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup Mindanao Challenge last week at the Pagadian City Gymnasium in Zamboanga del Sur.
Mantilla’s breakthrough title became extra special as the versatile 5-foot-7 point guard copped the Finals MVP award with an average of 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 steals, and 2.5 assists in Zamboanga Sibugay’s two-game shutout of BYB Kapatagan.
“It’s really unexpected because it’s the first time that I became a champion since college,” said Mantilla, the regular season MVP of the 2017 Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) season while playing for the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars.
Unknown to many, walking away from the sport that is closest to his heart crossed Mantilla’s mind when his mother Teresita died last October.
But Mantilla soldiered on with his three-month-old baby, Jayden Genysys, giving him renewed vigor and hope.
“Sumagi sa isipan ko na ayaw ko na magbasketball kasi nawala ‘yung mama ko eh. Nawalan ako ng inspirasyon,” Mantilla shared in an earlier report by Tiebreaker Times.
“Pero may pumalit naman. ‘Yung baby ko siya talaga ang nagmotivate as akin. Araw araw dito sa Pagadian sinisend ng girlfriend ko ‘yung picture ng baby ko. Everyday ako namomotivate,” the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman of Barangay Suba, Cebu City continued.
No wonder upon his return home after a glorious Super Cup campaign, the 25-year-old Mantilla savored immeasurable joy while proudly hoisting the other ‘trophy’ he will treasure in his lifetime - his baby boy.
“Thank you 2021 for these two trophies,” a grateful Mantilla posted on his Facebook page, summing up what has been a meaningful year in his hoop career that holds a lot of promise in the future.