Humblebola

BY KYLE REINER PINEDA

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Boys from Taft have an infamous trend in recent years. Lead throughout the game, looking as if it’s just another win on the calendar, but fall apart in the fourth quarter one way or another. 

Take for example the game versus Ateneo this season or the knockout game versus Adamson to make the Final Four last season. Certain key players started out hot but waned when the lights were brightest. 

Showing up when it matters most is a culture that Coach Topex Robinson is trying to instill into his players. That next man up mentality is what the former PBA and NCAA coach is bringing to the collegiate level that every player needs to work for his minutes no matter your reputation and rotation before. Bad habits are still evident from the Green Archers with blowing leads or missed rotations but it is this culture of accountability that La Salle is instilling even with the coaching staff. Point the fingers to the players, coaching staff, or the system. This is a problem La Salle need to solve if they have championship ambitions this season.

“At the end of the day I coach this team. I lead this team. When we win or lose, I take responsibility for it and unfortunately, those decisions are magnified when you lose a game.”

• Coach Topex Robinson on Earl Abadam’s benching in the 2nd Half versus National University

Green Archers fans should breathe a sigh of relief in having a coach capable of making adjustments when needed. The La Salle fanbase has notably has a reputation for being loud and impatient. Excellence is demanded from their coaches and players, and immediately put anyone that doesn’t live up to their expectations on the chopping block. Each time a coach underperforms, the community calls for their head. 

Aka—La Sallians want their La Salle team to– La Salle. And Coach Topex Robinson is in the midst of changing that by instilling his brand of basketball. Compare La Salle to the biggest sports teams in the world with a long heritage—Ferrari, the Los Angeles Lakers, or Manchester United. Win and be heralded as the savior of the sports brand or lose and it is as if you have nowhere else to hide.

This season there are only a few clear-cut contenders for the UAAP title, and La Salle is definitely one of them despite being in what for other programs would have been a “rebuilding year” due to the coaching change.

Shades of the past are still evident from the team from stagnant offenses, rushed shots, and mental mistakes on defenses. These will be growing pains for the Green Archers but with a new culture brought in by their new head coach, there’s hope that the bad habits, the coaching carousel and the end-game collapses become a thing of the past. But they better find their footing quick to build momentum as they head into a crucial Round 2 for seeding eliminations.