WHEN it comes to big men in a sport like basketball, one would have the image of an alpha male who puts forth a high level of physicality, aggression, and on-court bravado.
READ: How another players-only meeting got La Salle past UP again
For the defending UAAP champions, Mike Phillips may have always been a fortress on both ends of the floor for La Salle, but he’s not one to shy away from showing his ‘human side.’
As the competition in college hoops grow fiercer, the 6-foot-8 Taft tower’s key to self-preservation is by simply allowing himself to be vulnerable and true to his core even in times of struggle.
The fuel to Motor Mike’s fire
Round 1 of Season 87 prelims play saw the Green Archers lead the pack with a 6-1 slate and two of its stars, Phillips included, in the top three of the MVP race behind leader Kevin Quiambao and University of the Philippines’ JD Cagulangan.
The Fil-American veteran hotshot normed 10 points, 11.57 rebounds (third overall) 2.43 assists, 1.71 steals and one block in 23:03 minutes of play.
Steady as his season has been so far, Phillips dealt with a huge loss in his life as his longtime friend and team dormitory guard Doleo Susalta passed away days before the first round came to a close.
It was a pivotal moment which made him grieve, reflect, and be at his rawest emotional state.
“In those moments, you know, I look up to God. I looked up to the crowd and I just see, like I said before, God working. And in those tense moments when I'm really, really tired, as coach always says, I really find strength in my vulnerability,” Phillips told SPIN.ph.
“It’s really just embracing those emotions because that's something that when we look back, it’s those moments on the court that I'm going to remember. And so I'm really just enjoying it and pushing it forward.
No ‘I’ in team
To have a strong support system on and off the court with his fellow Green Archers is a luxury Phillips has never taken for granted.
Through thick and thin, the team’s active regard for mental welfare just as much as the results on the court fostered a healthy working environment in the Taft camp under Topex Robinson’s watch.
And Motor Mike, in his fourth year, only hopes to further relish the entirety of what remains in his decorated college career with the green-and-white.
“My teammates are always, always pushing me, especially when I make mistakes, which also allows me to just really enjoy everything, enjoying the moment.
“That's why I love any game we play, any play I go against, you always learn. It's not always just basketball. It's something you take in outside of those four lines in the court.”
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