De La Salle University head coach Topex Robinson in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball Final 4. Photo from UAAP Media.MANILA — After multiple heartbreaks and MCL tears that were initially feared to be season-ending injuries for both Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan, De La Salle University still managed to punch its ticket back to the UAAP men’s basketball Finals.
The Green Archers also needed to defeat top-seeded National University twice on top of those challenges, and for La Salle coach Topex Robinson, their Finals return is a testament to the heart and faith of his men.
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“It really tested the character of this team, but what a way to end those struggles,” said the one-time UAAP champion mentor after their 78–73 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Still, while it’s commendable how they weathered their storms, Robinson knew from the start that his Archers already had the potential to do this.
“When we built this team, we wanted to make sure that, at the end of the season, they become one,” he said.
“So when everybody was doubting us, pushing us away already, and not counting us in, it gave us the motivation — not to prove to others — but to prove to ourselves that we are capable as long as we stick together,” he added.
With those struggles now behind them, the Green Archers turn their focus to redemption against the University of the Philippines.
While the Fighting Maroons are familiar foes, Robinson maintains that the latest installment of their modern-day rivalry is a whole new story.
“I really don’t know what’s gonna happen this time. We’re happy to be here, to be in the Finals,” he said. “They are gonna come in with so much experience.”
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Despite the uncertainty that Robinson is anticipating, what he is counting on is the maturity they have developed since their early-season struggles.
“It’s always gonna be a slugfest, but it would be the maturity of these guys which we will lean on,” he said. “We’re just gonna invest all of our energy on us.”
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