JACOB Cortez spent much of his early basketball life standing in the long shadow of his father Mike, the La Salle legend known for big-game heroics and championship pedigree.
So when it was finally his turn to don the green-and-white, the 22-year-old guard made sure he would learn the ropes on his own.
Moving from Mendiola to Taft, he committed to proving he could stand firmly on his own two feet.
But only a few games into UAAP Season 88, Cortez found himself struggling to settle in.
The strong-willed playmaker reached a vulnerable point, so much so that he eventually turned to his father, leading to a tough-love moment with a not-so-cool version of the ‘Cool Cat.’
“I talked to my dad, actually, after those two horrible games I had. He got mad at me because he's like, ‘Now you want to talk to me when you're playing bad,’” the younger Cortez told SPIN.ph.
“That helped me, whatever he said, and that helped my confidence in me.”
'Clutch Cat' arrives
From that turning point, the 5-foot-11 dynamo thrust himself into the core of the Green Archers' breaking free of their struggles — from nearly falling into a fourth-place playoff to overcoming a twice-to-beat disadvantage and setting up their third straight finals duel against the University of the Philippines.
READ: La Salle leashes top dog NU to set up another finals date with UP
Now headed to his first UAAP finals, Cortez’s story isn’t just about stepping out of his father’s shadow.
It’s about proving his worth as a star in his own right, and perhaps becoming a rare UAAP-slash-NCAA champion.
With his dad known as the ‘Cool Cat,’ he’s now shown he’s quite the ‘Clutch Cat’ too.
“I’m just proving a point to myself, actually. I don’t mind anything else,” Cortez said. “When I transferred to La Salle, I just really wanted to get out of the NCAA and try the UAAP naman.”
“I’ve been working hard ever since that. Now we're in the finals. It all worked out and it's only going to be tougher from here.
“I have to stay ready for that and have my guys ready as well.”
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