Efren “Bata” Reyes believes Philippine billiards is in good hands even with his and his contemporaries’ impending departure.

Reyes, 71, said in a recent episode of Off the Court, the weekly sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE, that with young players gaining access to technology, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Reyes is competing in a four-man tournament, the WNT Legends, together with Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ralf “The Kaiser” Souquet of Germany and Earl “Pearl” Strickland of the United States, at Gateway Mall in Quezon City until Friday.

“Right now, there are many talented kids as some as young as 13 to 17 years old. They really want to learn and they watch games to see beautiful shots and try to understand how we play,” Reyes said.

”There are many good players today. Not just one. Compared to before, there are more skilled players now, and many of them are getting better very fast.”

Reyes even cited 18-year-old star AJ Manas, the fastest rising cue artist regarded as a potential successor.

Manas joined Team Asia in the second Reyes Cup as he, Carlo Biado, Aloysius Yapp of Singapore, Johann Chua, and Duong Quoc Hoang of Vietnam under team captain Bustamante.

“AJ Manas is very good. Even though he’s young, he already has experience playing abroad in places like Hanoi, Indonesia and Europe. His game keeps improving, and he has a strong heart. That’s important,” Reyes said.

The Philippines has a lot of pool players ready to take on the mantle from Reyes and Bustamante.

Apart from Biado and Chua, Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno are considered the standard bearer for women’s billiards in the Philippines.

Reyes even reminded the young guns to be humble and remain healthy given the demands of the sport.

After all, Reyes’ humility and low profile despite his fame was the key to his longevity