WHEN La Salle dropped Game 2 of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball finals to the University of the Philippines, Green Archers captain Mike Phillips quietly walked the halls out of the Mall of Asia Arena alone.
Still wearing his trademark smile, Phillips paused briefly before heading out and reflected with SPIN.ph on the final days leading up to what he knew would be his last time stepping onto the UAAP stage in green-and-white.
The defeat hardly seemed to shake him.
Even then, Phillips carried himself with a calm certainty, his heart already full, win or lose, knowing his journey in Taft had given him far more than trophies ever could.
Because regardless of how his collegiate career would end, the school he called home had already changed him for good.
“They made me find my purpose in life as a Christian and as a Lasallian,” Phillips said.
That realization also reframed how he viewed his time in Taft, not merely through wins, dominance, or accolades, but through something far deeper.
Phillips was adamant that the story should not be about what he did for La Salle, but what La Salle did for him.
“I just try to be a vessel of God’s mission,” he said.
“I don’t want anybody to remember my name. I just want Jesus’ name to be remembered through it all. I’m just a servant. Jesus just lifted our name, so that we may elevate His name even higher.”
God did
It was during the height of the pandemic, inside the unfamiliar confines of a closed-off UAAP, when Phillips’ journey as a Green Archer began under extraordinary circumstances and when the foundation of his faith was first truly ignited.
“For me, it started in the pandemic. I remember it clear as day. God told me, ‘I’m going to give you a platform. I’m going to give you a platform, and it’s for you to spread My glory,” he shared back then.
That platform manifested itself in the biggest way possible during the Green Archers' Season 86 title run, when Phillips decided to visibly carry his now-familiar ‘God did’ mantra onto the court.
“For me, it’s just wearing faith. It’s being one of God’s children, and I’m playing for Him,” he shared.
Seeing that message stitched onto his jersey served as a constant reminder — one that helped keep his ego in check.
“It’s amazing to feel it when I see myself on the monitor,” he said. “Because one of my biggest struggles is pride. This is a reminder that God is there in the highest moments, and God is there in the lowest.”
And because of that, as he had the curtain call to his collegiate career, Phillips laid his heart bare for his one final message to the Green Archers and their faithful.
“Dear La Salle, thank you for always being the backbone, not only of the team, but of the entire community,” he said, right after putting on a 25-point, 18-rebound double-double to carry his side to a second title in three seasons.
READ: Phillips goes on a 'Giannis Game' to reclaim crown for La Salle
“You show so much support, not only to the basketball program, but to everyone. You’ve been the heartbeat for us.
“Hopefully, we’re going to go out there on Wednesday and play for you guys.”
He did. God did. La Salle did.
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