Accepting defeat
In his four-year stay with the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates, Topex Robinson has always preached three core values to his time: Love, serve, and care. And even in a controversial contest on Friday evening, Robinson stayed true to his principles in order to protect the spirit of the game.
With 40.3 seconds left and the Pirates down by three, Jaycee Marcelino drained what seemed like a triple to knot the game. No one from both sides could convert on their respective ends to send the game into overtime.
However, as both teams were preparing for extra time, the referees decided to go to the officials table to review the shot. Based on numerous replays, Marcelino was stepping on the line. And in a surprise, the referees downgraded the triple to a long two-ball, giving the win to the Knights, 80-79.
But Robinson came into the post-game press conference with no sense of disappointment – only acceptance.
“Nobody even talked about putting the game under protest. That’s just a waste of time.
“Those are the rules of the NCAA and we don’t make them, we just follow them. If that’s the decision of the referees, they’re not gonna do something that they’re not sure of. I trust coach Bai [Cristobal – Commissioner], I trust the referees,” shared Robinson.
“Tao lang din sila e. They made a ton of mistakes and that makes them human. I made a lot of mistakes, I’m also human. Life will move on. We have a lot of people who depend on us and we cannot falter,” the former PBA pro added.
For Robinson, it is their fault that they were put in that predicament. The Pirates were not able to protect a 10-point lead during the third frame while figuring in a bevy of turnovers that led to Letran’s late rally.
“I did stupid decisions. The reason that we lost to Letran is first, they’re better than us and second, I was outcoached by coach Jeff [Napa],” admitted Robinson.
After suffering their second loss of the season, Robinson is hoping that this will bring them lessons entering the Final Four.
“The reason that I know they’ll be okay is we have a culture that loves, serves, and cares. Winning is not gonna be the end goal of this team. It’s about making sure that they’re gonna be players who will grow,” said Robinson.
“Sabi ko nga sa kanila, we will never be defined as a team just because we lost to a better team this afternoon. We will be defined by how we’re gonna finish this season and the season after.”
