A new mix of athletes, big expectations, and an even bigger task ahead of them. Can the Archers keep the UAAP crown in Taft?
The celebrations lasted all night.
After the De La Salle University Green Archers were crowned the UAAP Men’s Basketball Champions last season, their first title in a long seven years, the parties followed the team bus from Araneta Coliseum all the way to Taft Avenue.
Students, alumni, faculty, and team members gathered in the middle of the campus until the late, late hours of the evening (and the ungodly hours of the morning) to listen to the players take turns professing what this championship meant to them, to sing the alma mater with pride, and to celebrate this moment they’ve long been waiting for — the Archers finally reclaiming the UAAP throne.
And anyone who calls themselves a Lasallian will not be eager to give it up so easily.
The expectations for the Green Archers have grown exponentially since last season. The pressure did not feel as potent this time last year, but now, as defending champions, the throne is theirs to give up. However, Coach Topex Robinson, who debuted as DLSU’s men’s basketball head coach just last year, believes that pressure is a nonnegotiable element that comes with leading this particular program, regardless of whether or not the team enters a season as favorites to win the title.
“Modesty aside, representing DLSU doesn’t make you an underdog. There’s always going to be pressure because of the tradition, the culture that entails the Green and White,” Topex tells The GAME.
“[Last season], if you’re talking about personnel or dynamics, yes, we might have been considered underdogs. But based on a coaching standpoint, as I’ve been on the other side before against DLSU, I’ve never considered them as underdogs with the respect that we have for this program. And that really brought out the best in us.”
Many may recall that the Archers didn’t hit the mark instantly in UAAP Season 86. In the opening round of the men’s basketball tournament, they lost three out of their seven games and weren’t exactly hailed as potential champions until they finally hit their stride in the second round of eliminations, where they went undefeated.
But this year, the team is about to enter Season 87 with an entirely different reputation — even though they are chasing the exact same goal.
“Last year, everybody raised their hands when I asked them, ‘Who wants to win a championship?'” Topex shares.
“That was the question last season. The question now is: ‘How far are you willing to go with us to win another championship?'”
Setting up for success
Topex Robinson became a new face on the DLSU campus last year after his appointment as head coach of the Green Archers, but the La Salle men’s basketball program was not new to him at all.
“I grew up idolizing Adriano Papa III, Jun Limpot, Johnedel Cardel. So, I was a La Salle fan even before I was in high school, watching the team play until Johnny Abarrientos came along,” he recalls.
“The Lasallian in me has always been there. When I went to San Sebastian [for college], we used to play in Rizal Memorial, and on the travel from San Sebastian to Rizal Memorial, you would always pass by Taft and I always dreamt about going on that other side of the fence looking at the Henry Sy Hall. So it’s always been a dream of mine, to represent La Salle.
“That’s why when it finally came through I said to myself that I’m willing to take whatever challenge or responsibility there is just to be a part of this program and its institution.”
Once Topex Robinson was thrown into the fire — and having the longstanding respect for the rich and successful history of the DLSU basketball team that he’d developed by watching the team over the years — it would have been easy for him to be instantly drawn to the prospect of immediate glory. After all, any La Salle coach knows that leading this team comes with hefty expectations. But even though winning was among his goals, his eyes were not solely set on this; rather, first and foremost, he was set on cultivating a team culture that could bring out the best in his players.
This can mean a lot of different things. But for this head coach, it was all about strengthening the bond of the team.
In line with his goal, it didn’t come as a shock to find out that Topex has his own room in the players’ dorms, where he often stays every week. “I’m really so focused on having personal relationships with each and every one of my players. I really invest my time being with them. When I say being with them, I mean getting to know them.”
It didn’t take long to spot the outcomes of these small yet impactful initiatives last season.
Before every game, the entire team would stand in a circle by their side of the bench, hold hands, and say a prayer altogether. Ben Phillips, who was the team captain last season, previously told The GAME that this simple exercise helped the players start every game feeling grounded and connected to one another.
This new tradition that Coach Topex started, which has since become a trademark for this team, is a clear example of his coaching style.
“The culture of our team is the environment,” Topex explains. “The culture is they’re gonna be the product of the environment that we have in our program. And it’s about taking care of each other, as players being the brother’s keeper. So we just want to make sure that our players left under our care will feel heard, taken care of, and most importantly, they’ll feel loved.
“It’s always going to be your love for each other and winning will be the byproduct of that. How you take care of each other, how you support each other. It’s not really winning and then taking care of each other — it’s taking care of each other, and then winning will be the product of that.”
It was this bond that made the team what it was last season. And from this, La Salle went from a so-so first elimination round to an unbeaten second round, and ultimately, to winning the UAAP men’s basketball title.
With a new UAAP season finally here, DLSU will see just how far this bond can take the Green and White.
“We are the product of our environment and we create our environment. The challenge for us this year is how to keep that culture alive. The responsibility lies not only with us as leaders but also for them as players.”
Leading the charge
DLSU has a new set of Green Archers aiming for the UAAP Season 87 crown. A number of players graduated after last year’s championship season, including former co-captains Ben Phillips and Evan Nelle, but the team has a promising group of fresh talents getting ready to make their UAAP debuts.
Among the DLSU rookies this season include Gilas Youth star Alex Konov, former Centro Escolar University center Henry Agunanne, Vhoris Marasigan, and Doy Dungo, players who proved to be key additions to the team in La Salle’s championship run at the World University Basketball Series last August.
Having beaten the two-time Korean University League champions Korea University in the international tournament, this victory was one of DLSU’s first tests before the big one: UAAP Season 87. And with a mix of both the old and the new, things are looking promising for the Archers, especially as the rookies aim to prove themselves among the current champs.
However, despite the disparity between newbies and veterans, Coach Topex Robinson assures that their team has flattened the squad’s hierarchy.
“Some might be called seniors, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be the top guy there. That’s how we welcome our rookies,” he explains.
Topex adds that in his experience, he has gone through coaches who have treated seniors as the bosses of the team and the rookies as the followers. This is something that, as a head coach, he now actively avoids. “We try to stop that and make sure that the seniors will protect the rookies and not rookies protecting themselves.”
A united front. This is what Topex is looking for from his team, as he believes that this is what is going to get them over the line a second time.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have his more experienced players around to help the rookies find their footing on the UAAP stage, as Topex highlights some of his top players.
“We are blessed to have a Kevin Quiambao,” he says, echoing a sentiment shared by many DLSU fans. “He doesn’t really speak that much. He’s not a vocal leader. But the action that he puts in really amuses me every day. He’s really so determined in what he wants to do and what he wants to achieve. It separates him from the rest.”
Apart from Quiambao, who is highly rated as one of the best players in the country right now, Topex also believes that the other leaders in the group bring their own strengths into the mix that make them just that much stronger, including this season’s co-captains Josh David and Mike Phillips.
“What I really admire about those two guys is that they really are the ones taking care of their younger brothers. Talagang sobrang maasikaso sila. Kumbaga, kapag may bago s’amin parang maaawa ka sa kanila kasi sila pa yung mas nagpapakumbaba. Sila yung nagre-reach out sa mga bago.
“But those two players don’t really talk too much. They do it in action.”
And there is also CJ Austria, who proved to be a reliable member of the squad last year. “He’s our Sergeant at Arms, in a way na he knows what works for me as a coach. So sinasabihan niya yung mga bago namin na ayaw ni coach ng ganyan. He holds the baton for us in a way that he protects the players as well. You just have to know how to press the right buttons for them to be more productive not only as players but also as teammates.”
As Topex emphasizes, the responsibility of keeping the team’s family-esque culture alive lies within the hands of every single member of the team, and luckily, this year’s crop of athletes are not only skilled on the court but are also leaders off the court as well. This is what made their team’s culture an indispensable factor in DLSU’s victory last year.
This season, it is more important than ever.
Heavy is the head
How far are you willing to go with us to win another championship?
Coach Topex’s question will be ringing in the heads of the Green Archers throughout UAAP Season 87. But it won’t just be Topex asking this. It will be the topic of conversation after every DLSU game; it will be on the minds of the other teams; it will be heard from the voices of the fans who watch games wearing green (or any other color, for that matter).
The noise will inevitably become a huge part of their journey, and the team will need to face it head-on if they want yet another trophy in the case.
In the end, it will all come down to how well they can block out the chatter and uphold the La Salle basketball culture they have fostered together over the last couple of years. From an outsider’s perspective, one can easily recognize it as a brotherhood — but it is their brotherhood.
“That’s our circle, and we protect that circle,” Topex explains. “If you’re not part of that circle, you’re not part of that bond. We keep it protected from outsiders. We try to remind ourselves that we are bonded by this relationship and that no matter what, we try to protect each other.
“We always say that those people who cheer for you will always be the ones who criticize you. And that’s the way it is. That’s the reality of representing a program. Winning is not only one thing, it’s everything. And that’s why this program has been successful through the years. It’s because of the high standards that they raise. You always want to be at that level.”
The Green Archers met that level for the first time in seven years in Season 86, and that will continue to remain the standard for the seasons to come — especially this one.
DLSU is now the team with the biggest targets on their backs. But luckily for them, they also have a much stronger foundation to rely upon this year.
“We have our core. We have our culture. But underneath that culture is the foundation,” Topex explains.
“We live by five virtues and these are the ones that stabilize the ship. Those are joy, fulfillment, competitiveness, commitment, and compassion. Those are the values that we introduce to our rookies, those are the values that our veterans are really maintaining and keeping close to heart. Because that only doesn’t help the team but also helps us as individuals.
“We talk about joy and it’s about what you get and being grateful for where you are right now. Fulfillment means what you give and how you inspire a lot of people by the way you play and by the way you represent your school. You’re always going to be competing, whether in basketball or even in life, there’s always going to be competition. Commitment is what you put in and what you promised that you’re going to deliver and most importantly compassion is taking care of each other. Compassion is caring for each other. Compassion is giving love.
“Those are the five core principles of our program.”
This foundation will be tested come their first UAAP Season 87 game, and from there, they will definitely face their share of challenges. As they might tell you themselves after their experiences last season, rarely does a championship come without storms.
But, they are more ready than ever.
“It’s going to be a challenging year for us, but a fruitful year for us as well. So there’s always going to be something to look forward to and something to get excited about and that’s really always been the thing for us, always have to be grateful for where you are and what you have and the only way that you could be grateful and thankful is to really appreciate the blessings that you have. And with that, there’s always going to be a two-way street.
“It’s not what you get but what you give.”
The Green Archers’ title defense starts now.
Text ANNIKA CANIZA
Photography EXCEL PANLAQUE
Creative Direction MARC YELLOW and CAS ASEOCHE
Styling BRYAN LAROZA, LYNUS MARTIN, and CARLOS BALDEMORO
Sittings Editor SID VENTURA
Shot on Location ENRIQUE RAZON SPORTS COMPLEX, DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY
Production Coordination ANTHONY MENDOZA