After abandoning Green Lancers last May, Jun Manzo wants to return to former team
Could reconciliation and a reunion be in the works for the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers and former star guard Jun Manzo?
That just might be the case. But should it happen, it will be under the terms and conditions set by UV team manager and Cebu First District Representative, Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas.
This was revealed to Cebu Daily News by Gullas, who shared that Manzo reached out to him yesterday morning to inquire about the possibility of coming back to the Green Lancers camp, just months after departing acrimoniously for the UAAP’s University of the Philippines (UP).
“I told him he can come back. But what he did to the team hurt me, so I told him that he should sit out one year,” said the young solon and sportsman.
“He wouldn’t agree to that. I told him that’s my opinion. He can ask the coaches and maybe they can have a different recommendation for me. But if you ask me, that’s non-negotiable.”
After a stellar showing in the Cesafi finals and the Collegiate Champions League last year, Manzo was set to be one of the main cogs of the Lancers’ drive for a title this season. However, that all changed in an instant after the Agusan-native and forward Leonard Santillan defected to the UP side last May just days after the Lancers were set to compete in the Cesafi’s preseason tournament, the Partner’s Cup.
Since then, Manzo has been struggling to find his fit in Manila. Whereas Santillan has reportedly left UP and transferred to La Salle, Manzo has also tried his luck at Letran, where he stayed for four days before making his way back to UP.
Reached for a comment, UV head coach Gary Cortes said that the quandary that Manzo finds himself in is a result of hasty decision-making.
“Padalos-dalos na decision ba. He has no choice but to sit out one year if he wants to come back since the deadline for submission of lineups was last Friday. But if he’s really serious about coming back, let’s see. Whatever will be the decision of boss (Gullas), that will be it,” said Cortes, who is fresh off a business trip from the United States.
However, UV assistant coach Van Halen Parmis told this writer that the current Green Lancers no longer share the same affinity they once had for their former teammate.
“Ang iyaha mga teammates dili man gusto na mubalik siya because namiya siya na wala mananghid.”