Veteran forward Christian Manaytay revealed that he is planning to turn professional after his roller-coaster journey with the UST Growling Tigers.

“After graduating, like most guys, I want to go pro also. I’m taking the steps going there. Next year, I am open to play in the MPBL muna and then wait for the [PBA] draft,” Manaytay told TomasinoWeb.

“Let’s see kung saan papunta ito. It is a dream come true if I get drafted [in the PBA],” the 25-year-old Cebu-native added.

Manaytay labelled his UST stint as a “fulfilling journey” to the top following his first Final Four appearance in five years.

“Along the way, you always learn something valuable in life. Coming from the past three or four seasons na hindi kami nananalo, we feel so great to be part of the Final Four na we are already there competing with the top teams,” he said.

Manaytay remained optimistic that UST’s future will shine as he leaves the Tigers’ lair.

“As you know we have loaded talents na and I think we are good at finding talents kasi meron kaming mga backers like SMC, sila Boss Alfrancis Chua. We would also like to thank Boss Al for giving us the backup we needed to build ourselves,” he said.

“They (young players) are in very good hands. Before going out, Forthsky [Padrigao] always reminds them to relax and treat this like it is just another game. Forthsky has been there and [I know] that he will lead the next Tigers to success,” Manaytay added.

Manaytay vowed to bring his professionalism which he gained from UST as he flips through his next basketball chapter.

“I think makakatulong sa akin na naging leader na ako turning into the pros. Sabi nga ng mga coaches namin na ‘Let’s treat [every game] as a professional, if hindi ka nagagamit sa game, may kulang’ so we always try to work on that,” Manaytay said.

“Always on the rock. No matter what happens, always keep moving forward, and train hard kasi it will return in the process,” he added.

Manaytay averaged 8.47 points and three boards this season and almost logged a double-double performance in his final match versus UP with 10 points and eight rebounds.