Dulay’s rise to the upper echelon of Canada West players didn’t just happen by luck. He maintained a strong work ethic in practice and offseason and dedicated this season to being the best.
Manny Dulay has risen to the level of an elite student athlete while also being a positive influence for the community. The fifth year senior basketball player at the University of the Fraser Valley has shot up the ranks to lead his Cascades squad to the playoffs. Dulay is ranked first in three pointers made, sixth in assists and ninth in steals across the entire nation. He also has showcased high level efficiency with the second best assists-to-turnovers ratio which is even more impressive when taking into account that the senior has logged the second most minutes in the league. Consistency is the key to Dulay’s prowess.
As a senior player, Manny Dulay was given mightier expectations for the season. His years at UFV were tremendously impactful towards his understanding of the game. He has taken all this responsibility in stride. However, he has not just been putting up gaudy numbers on the stat sheet. Dulay knows that there is much more to being a team leader. “I learned from the older guys each year. You got to be one of the best players every game in order for your team to be successful. You got to take care of your teammates, make sure they’re focused and driven,” he says.
Dulay’s rise to the upper echelon of Canada West players didn’t just happen by luck. He maintained a strong work ethic in practice and offseason and dedicated this season to being the best. “I gained a summer mentality of constantly hitting the gym. This is my last year so I had to go all out during the offseason. My goal has been to be a dependable star player and preparation is necessary for success,” Dulay explains.
This extensive training and prep work paid off with significant dividends to start the season as Dulay came out firing on all cylinders. This solid beginning to the year just progressed to a point where he was just lights out in the second half of the season.
The work that Dulay has been putting in on the court has been well noticed among collegiate basketball fans, but he has also been working as a coach at AthElite Basketball Academy. After playing for many years with AthElite, he chose to come back and be a coach for their program. Dulay really appreciates what he has been able to do there. He describes “It has been one of the best experiences of my life because you get to interact with so many kids and look into the future generation of basketball. Giving back to the community by being a positive influence for these kids is just a truly unique and wonderful experience.”
Dulay’s biggest influencers growing up have been his father and cousin who also loved sports. As a young kid, he played with his cousin in Kamloops and considers himself a “very lucky person” to have had his father be so active in his life.
The Cascades year is now over as they lost a tight series to the University of Winnipeg. Dulay averaged a superb 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds with 8 steals and only three turnovers. Looking at the entirety of his basketball career, Dulay finished with the third highest total of three pointers made in Canada West history. While he may be disappointed with the season ending in the first round, he has to take pride in the progress he’s made on and off the court. Manny Dulay is a leader for his basketball team and a leader in the community.
