Jacob Cortez continues to prove that he’s a winner on his own terms.
Mike Cortez swelled with pride as the game clock slowly wound down to zero at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Many years ago, it was him who stood proudly on the Araneta Coliseum floor, being part of the DLSU Green Archers’ back-to-back championships in UAAP Seasons 63 (2000) and 64 (2001).
On Wednesday, December 17, Mike was at the Big Dome for another DLSU title victory. Only this time, the “Cool Cat” was there for his son, Jacob, who followed in his footsteps to win a title for the Green Archers.
The Archers on Wednesday closed out the UP Fighting Maroons through an 80-72 victory in Game 3, taking home their 11th UAAP men’s basketball championship, along with writing the perfect ending to a Cinderella run.
For Mike, it was quite the experience to see his son celebrate a championship in green at the center of the Big Dome.
“It’s an indescribable feeling and I’m so happy for him,” Mike told a few reporters during DLSU’s title celebrations on Wednesday. “I’m so happy for the La Salle community, [they were] runners-up last year.”
Jacob delivered the goods in his first UAAP finals as a Green Archer, with his shining moment coming in Game 1, where he iced DLSU’s 74-70 victory over the Fighting Maroons to cap off a 21-point night.
As Mike said, pressure was on Jacob and his fellow new recruits Kean Baclaan, Luis Pablo, and Mason Amos to steer DLSU back to the throne. Though it wasn’t the easiest thing to do, they all came through when it mattered the most.
“The mission was the four of them [Jacob, Kean Baclaan, Luis Pablo, and Mason Amos] to help bring that crown back, and that’s what they did. Through the ups and downs, missed free throws, injuries, almost not making it to the Final Four,” Mike said.
“They stood together and banded together and the cream rose to the top. Kudos to UP, championship team, unbelievable team thet they got there. But it’s just an indescribable feeling for Jacob and the whole team, the whole La Salle community.”
His own name
Though he wears the same last name and jersey number, and even has the same number of championships, Jacob Cortez’s path couldn’t be any more different from the “Cool Cat”.
In particular, the “Cool Cub” has placed himself in an exclusive club after the Season 88 title with DLSU, being one of the few players to win in both the NCAA and UAAP. Jacob won his first collegiate title as a San Beda Red Lion in NCAA Season 99 (2023), before winning a UAAP title in Season 88 this year.
Jacob joins a small group that includes Robert Bolick (DLSU to San Beda), Evan Nelle (San Beda to DLSU), and Art dela Cruz (Ateneo to San Beda), according to longtime statistician Pong Ducanes.
“It’s surreal, quite unbelievable. I was a little bit emotional because this is more difficult than the previous one that I have,” reflected Jacob, who was overcome with emotions as the final buzzer sounded on Wednesday.
“Injuries, suspensions, ejections. And then, a new team for me; kind of new players with Mason, Kean, and Pabs [Luis Pablo] . But then again, we trusted each other no matter what and I think that’s what the really big part is to winning.”
Although he’s charting his own championship path, Jacob made sure to honor Mike, being the father that’s supported him every step of the way. In fact, the Cool Cub actually passed the game ball to the Cool Cat, who was at the upper box area before making his way to the court.
Seeing Mike cheer for him, Jacob said, was a sight he will always cherish, given the Cool Cat’s usually calm demeanor.
“It feels great. I don’t know if you saw earlier, I passed the game ball to him, and I don’t know why he was all the way up there,” Jacob recalled with a smile.
“But it was good to see him happy and proud; it’s a big moment for me because everyone knows him as like…he’s cool and has no emotion. Just to see that coming from my dad was amazing.”
In the eyes of Mike, Jacob was always destined to step out of his shadows. At this point, the only similarity between them, he said, was winning a title as a Green Archer.
“I’ve been saying, he’s gotta step out of his shadows and he did that! He did that for San Beda, then people doubted him that he couldn’t do it for La Salle,” Mike said.
“He came to the UAAP and proved that he’s the cream of the crop! Comparing him to me is like apples and oranges, totally different game. But the bottomline is we brought a championship to La Salle.”
Now that Jacob has fulfilled his destiny in green, what’s next? For Mike, it’s about keeping the crown in green, while continuing to write his own story not as the “son of Mike Cortez”, but on his own terms as Jacob Cortez.
“As a father, he can celebrate tonight [after Game 3], but tomorrow, you got to work on that back-to-back, to keep that crown in Taft.”
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.