ANGELES CITY – Matthew Wright is not going to let Topex Robinson down right in his first run as interim head coach of Phoenix.
True to his promise, the Fuel Masters’ top gunner came out firing and scored a game-high 36 points to steer the team to a 116-98 thrashing of the Meralco Bolts on Tuesday in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Wright highlighted his scoring spree by going 4-of-9 from three-point range and adding four rebounds and six assists.
By the time he was recalled to the bench by Robinson, he put one arm around the shoulder of his coach and whispered something, after which, he tapped Robinson on the head before taking his seat on the Phoenix bench.
Asked what his star player told him, Robinson disclosed Wright was just reminding him about his earlier promise.
“Matt told me that he’s going to give me this win, and that’s what he just reminded me,” said Robinson, who took over the coaching reins from Louie Alas prior to the season restart.
“I just love the way he competes. He’s a winner. He hates to lose, that’s what I love about him, and that’s what I hate about him. That’s just who he is,” he added. “He’s a winner, he knows that, and we just have to keep learning together.”
The Phoenix coach is counting on Wright to lead from the front for the Fuel Masters.
“Matthew is one of the guys that will be there for us. Matthew Wright will win us games just like what happened now, and Matthew Wright knows that we’re gonna lose games also,” said Robinson.
“But what’s important here is the support that he has. He has a group of guys who believes in his capabilities.”
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