MIKE Phillips walked over to some of his teammates after another intense practice session for La Salle and asked them to take their phones out as he capped off the night with some rim-rattlers worthy of a slam dunk contest.
He then proceeded to casually throw down a one-handed, around-the-hip jam which sent his teammates - and some reporters covering - into a frenzy.
That type of energy after training sessions is exactly what Phillips and the rest of the Green Archers look to keep once UAAP Season 87 rolls along starting September 7 at the Araneta Coliseum.
There might be a different kind of pressure now for the Taft-based team as they eye back-to-back titles, but Phillips will never forget why he’s here in the first place: enjoying the game and having fun with his team.
“For me, man, (my goal is) to really enjoy. This is my last two years. I’m looking at kuya Josh [David], it’s his last year. So I plan to enjoy it,” he expressed to SPIN.ph.
“Andito ako since 2019 and now, I see these rookies, they’re coming in and they’re calling me kuya Mike. 'Di pa ako sanay doon pero yun na nga, before I know it, wala na 'to, tapos na 'to,” he continued - yes, in perfectly pleasing Tagalog.
“So these next two years, I really want to soak it in. I want to enjoy it kasi yang memories, habambuhay na yan.”
The Fil-American big recalled his bond with now pro-bound Mark Nonoy last season, and wants to have that same closeness and success with his current teammates.
“Kami ni Mark Nonoy, grabe parang ganito na kami," he shared, entwining his index with his middle finger. "Every single game in the finals, we were talking about, ‘Pre, habang-buhay 'to, habang-buhay 'to!'"
“That’s my guy right there and kahit ngayon, we’re still in communication like, 'Kamusta ka?' Those are the things that make everything worth it.”
It's not all fun and games
While the ultra-talented 6-foot-8 forward is putting a premium on having fun this year, he still remains all business when it comes to their title defense.
A lot has been said about Phillips’ high motor - so much so that his monicker is 'Motor Mike' - and his impact on defense, but he still has plenty of things to work on when it comes to the other end.
And the 22-year-old acknowledges his need to work on his offensive production. Even better? That’s already something he’s been doing since the offseason.
“Yung depensa, yun talaga ang comfort zone ko. Pero the entire offseason, and hindi lang sa basketball, sinasabi talaga ni coach Topex [Robinson] na lumabas talaga ako sa comfort zone ko,” he said.
“Siyempre, kaya ko yan, pero sa totoo lang, mahirap siya talaga gawing mag-isa, kailangan ko yung mga sumusuporta sakin.”
Making things easier is the fact that he’s playing under Robinson, a coach who gives his players sufficient room to experiment and better themselves.
“It all starts with coach and trickles down to everybody,” Phillips explained.
“Alam ko na si coach Topex, ok naman siya when we’re experimenting on offense and trying to improve ourselves. Yun talaga ang pinaghihirapan ko this offseason.”
If Phillips improves his offensive bag and starts shooting from a steady, healthy clip from behind the arc, then good luck finding solutions to this Green Archers squad.
“Andaming firepower ng team na ’to and if I can contribute more on offense, it really opens up things for them,” he said, as he averaged 8.5 points in 41 percent shooting from the field, including going 5-of-13 in threes, a year ago.
“Yung mga big man, 'di na sila magsa-sag sa'kin. They’re gonna (have to) be up on me, so I can really create opportunities for my teammates.”
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