Topex Robinson is feeling the heat after De La Salle University lost back-to-back games for the first time during his tenure in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Green Archers fell 64-67 to University of the Philippines, and the game was notable for two reasons: the Fighting Maroons’ incredible 21-3 run in the third quarter and the botched final play that saw Joaqui Manuel turn the ball over as the inbounder.
The final play was an anticlimactic way for the game to end for La Salle. The Green Archers didn’t even have a chance to attempt a three-point shot with 2.9 seconds left.
This left a sour taste in the mouths of the Lasallians who watched the game at the SM Mall of Asia Arena and elsewhere.
“In those kinds of situations, I cannot give you an answer that nobody will object to,” said Robinson. “Everybody will be telling me what to do with this, you should have done that — it is what it is. They made good plays in the end. We made bad plays, but whatever happens, we’re gonna keep competing.
“There’s no answer I can give for that play. Obviously, these players competed and, with that, they’re gonna make mistakes along the way. The earlier we pick ourselves up from this loss, the better it will be for us. We have a game on Saturday and that’s what we’re excited about.”
La Salle has now lost three games this season. The Green Archers previously lost 72-77 to archrival Ateneo de Manila University on October 4 and 74-77 to National University last Sunday.
Aside from being members of Season 85’s Final Four, all three teams have luxuries that Robinson has yet to attain with La Salle — time and familiarity.
Tab Baldwin, despite having a young squad, has been with Ateneo since the start of Season 79. This means that his holdovers and assistant coaches already know what to instill in their new companions as they battle in the UAAP.
The same can be said for Jeff Napa with NU. Napa was appointed back in October 2020. Before his appointment, though, he was already an assistant coach for his predecessors Eric Altamirano and Jamike Jarin. He also led the school’s boys’ team, the Bullpups, to three UAAP titles.
When it comes to Goldwin Monteverde and UP, their partnership officially started in 2021. However, what hastened his success with the Fighting Maroons is that he was able to recruit some of his long-time players such as Carl Tamayo, Terrence Fortea, Harold Alarcon, and Gerry Abadiano.
So where does this leave Robinson, who is the latest to take the hot seat after Dindo Pumaren, Gee Abanilla, Juno Sauler, Aldin Ayo, Louie Gonzales, Gian Nazario / Jermaine Byrd, and Derick Pumaren?
Rome was not built in a day, but it remains to be seen if the former PBA mentor will at least be given a chance to properly establish a program for the Green Archers, just like what his counterparts from Ateneo, NU, and UP have done.
“For me, I’m really maturing with this guy right here (Robinson),” said La Salle’s third year center Michael Phillips. “I just play basketball but he’s shown me everything that goes into basketball. It’s not just putting the ball in the basket, practices, (and) everything.
“I don’t think this guy and the coaching staff get a lot of credit. He’s teaching us how to be young men, how to be in society, (and) how to live the right way. My biggest thing is using these games to really understand what he’s talking about,” the 32nd Southeast Asian Games gold medalist continued.
“It’s one thing that he tells us, it’s one thing with a situation like this (where) you really see. I’m really grateful to have coaches like these like Coach Topex. I think that’s something that kinda goes under the table that you guys don’t really see but that’s just something I’m grateful to have in a coach like in these situations.”
In the immediate future, Robinson and his Green Archers have a date against Season 86 hosts University of the East this weekend.
The pressure is on for La Salle not to lose three straight games by the end of the first round. A defeat will make the alarm bells ring louder on social media.
Come the second round, the Green Archers have their work cut out for them to make the Final Four. Ultimately, though, the championship is the goal.
The likes of Franz Pumaren, Sauler, and Ayo have won the holy grail for La Salle in their debut seasons leading the Green Archers. However, only the first two managed to coach the school for at least three seasons.
It remains to be seen if Robinson can follow the trio’s feat or even win a UAAP championship at all in his stay with La Salle. For now, though, he is taking everything in his stride.
“We know it’s gonna be a long way to go for us,” he said. “We know that we will play eight more games before the end of the eliminations and, just like what Mike said, we’re gonna use these losses as a tool for us to get better.
“It just so happened that we’re representing a program that’s really a successful program. We know that pressure is a privilege for us. They’d rather be here getting judged (and) people getting mad at us. We’d rather be here because this will only make us better.
“These experiences are only gonna make us closer as a team. When we started this season, we knew this season was gonna be hard. We embrace hard, we get better at hard and that’s gonna make us closer as a program. Those breaks will just keep us getting better. They humble us. They ground us. We’re just excited for what tomorrow will bring for us,” the former PBA head coach closed.
