WASN’T it just yesterday when Mike Phillips, in his rookie season, announced his arrival in emphatic fashion and immediately earned his place on the Mythical Team?
That was UAAP Season 84, that unconventional bubble season, where he gave La Salle a glimpse on what the future holds in Taft.
Fast forward to now, Season 88, and the 6-foot-8 banger is in disbelief that this is now his final go-round with the Green Archers.
“It’s a lot of emotions,” Phillips told SPIN.ph, reflecting on his final playing year. “It's weird 'cause before when we would send out our seniors, I always think that I still got a few more years. And then it’s just me now. We have inside jokes from that bubble team and now when I say it, no one gets it.”
But make no mistake about it, Phillips is just enjoying the ride.
“When they call me kuya in the beginning, when they call me cap, it was weird, but I’m embracing it now. I would say without any exaggeration I’m cherishing every single moment,” he stated, the loud and proud skipper of this side vying to reclaim the crown they last wore in Season 86.
“I’ve had so many full-circle moments that a lot of times, it feels surreal. I’m sure a lot of the seniors say it, but for me it’s really special because I spent half a decade here. This program, my coaches, they’ve seen me at my worst and they’ve seen me at my best. So I’m just enjoying the preparation, enjoying everything coming to an end, everything going fast and slow at the same time.”
I wanna be, I wanna be like Mike
Of course, there’s no question that this La Salle team follows Phillips’ lead.
No matter how much fanfare new arrivals may garner, there’s only one super senior in this team - and it’s none other than 'Motor Mike.'
And you bet, the 23-year-old slotman has taken it upon himself to mold the team to his liking, especially as they try to overcome their 2-3 start to the season.
“For me, I really feel confident because this is a team where I can really truly be myself. Of course, I’m the senior, I’m the captain, but there’s a lot of times that I make a lot of mistakes in trying to lead these guys, but they always pick me back up,” he said.
What sets this unit apart from teams’ past? Phillips, with his trusted Bible on hand, responded: “It’s the faith.”
“Like for example, me and our rookie Gian Gomez had countless conversations about faith. We had a crazy two-day team building going heart-to-heart and so many of these young guys said that they were inspired by me and Earl [Abadam] and JC [Macalalag] to develop their own relationship with God.”
He furthered, “That’s something na baka parang sirang-plaka na ako when I talk about faith, but that’s why I get up every day. It’s one thing for me to lead them in basketball, but I want to lead these guys to something that they will have forever and no matter when I leave La Salle, I want to leave those seeds.”
And with Phillips at the controls, the Green Archers - currently standing fifth in the standings - remain upbeat about having their sights dead-set on the ultimate prize.
“This is one of the most fun teams I’ve been in my career, one of the most hardworking, and if we don’t come any less with a championship, it’s really gonna hurt us because we poured so much into us,” he testified.
“We’re gonna get everything we can to get that championship, but if it’s not in the cards, we want to go out knowing we gave everything.”
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