Reserve finds many ways to provide spark as first man off bench

12:15 AM CST on Thursday, December 2, 2004
By C. ANTHONY MOSSER / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

PLANO – Plano boys basketball coach Tom Inman has often turned to his bench in recent seasons to find the perfect tonic for whatever ails his team.

The sixth-man role was served expertly by defensive specialist Abdullah Lawal in the 2001-02 season.

Last season, Joseph Fulce filled that role by often providing the Wildcats with instant offense.

This season, Plano's sixth-man role has fallen to Ryan Manack, a 6-1 senior guard/forward. Manack isn't blessed with the quickness and strength that made Lawal such a defensive presence nor is he likely to develop the polished offensive skills that have helped the 6-6 Fulce become Plano's leading scorer this season (21.0 points per game).

But like those two before him, Manack's insertion into a game often provides a spark.

"He's a real versatile player," said Plano assistant coach Phil Parlin, who coached Manack on Plano's junior varsity last season. "He can play at the wing or the point. He's a solid defensive player, and he shoots the ball well. He brings a lot of different things."

Manack, who averages 26 minutes a game, often has provided whatever has been needed for the 5-0 Wildcats: rebounding, ball-handling, playmaking and a missed free throw.

A missed free throw?

Well, that's just what the situation called for last week when Manack was fouled with less than a second remaining against Duncanville.

Plano was trailing, 65-62, with 0.91 of a second to play Manack made the first free throw, then purposely missed the second. Teammate Eric Zastoupil grabbed the rebound in the lane and flipped up a shot that left his hand just before the buzzer. Zastoupil's basket forced overtime. Plano went on to win in double overtime, 83-79.

"We talked about it during the timeout," Manack said of the missed free throw against Duncanville. "At first, I thought about trying to miss it long, which usually makes it come off high. We decided to try to miss it short and try to make it come off real hard and fast."

Inman deemed the play worthy of an assist, which is something Manack has been dishing out in much more conventional fashion on a consistent basis. He averages 6.8 assists.

"We've got a lot of guys on this team who shoot the ball well," Manack said, referring to the 50-plus field goal percentage of Plano's front line of Fulce, Travis Vance and Zastoupil.

"It helps a lot with the assist average when they're shooting lights out."

Manack is averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds and even with the purposely missed free throw, he is 19-of- 25 from the line, including 8-of-8 in Tuesday's win over Fort Worth Dunbar.

"He's got a very quiet confidence about himself and is a steadying force out there," Inman said.

E-mail cmosser@dallasnews.com

Carrollton-Farmers Branch Tournament, Plano vs. Jewish Community Center, 6 p.m. Thursday, Carrollton Ridgeview High School