TWO titles in two leagues for two champion schools, exactly two years apart. That’s the rare feat Jacob Cortez has just pulled off.
It was Cortez whom La Salle leaned on to close the door in an exhilarating 80-72 Game 3 triumph in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball finals, clinching the crown on the very same stage where he lifted San Beda to the NCAA Season 99 title two years earlier.
READ: La Salle a champion anew after besting UP in title trilogy
For someone who has seemingly won everywhere he has gone, the 23-year-old guard, affectionately dubbed the ‘Clutch Cat,’ offered a simple explanation for his Midas touch in the collegiate ranks.
“I just don’t like losing,” Cortez said with a grin.
Still, this latest championship carried a different weight.
“Then again, it’s still surreal and quite unbelievable,” he added.
“I was even a little bit emotional because this was, I can say, more difficult than the previous one that I had [with San Beda].
“From injuries, suspensions, ejections, and then a new team for me, kind of new players, but then again, we trusted each other no matter what. And I think that’s the really big part of winning.”
Next-generation champion Cortez
Since his arrival in Taft last year, much of Cortez’s narrative had been framed around following the path of his father, Mike, a multi-titled La Salle great in his own right.
But Jacob was quick to shut down any notion of chasing comparisons.
“There was no point at all in trying to prove myself apart from him,” Cortez said.
“I just knew how to play my game, and he made sure of that as well, even though I was already decided to work my way up here [in La Salle].”
Having grown up watching the Green Archers, from his father’s era to the years preceding his own, Cortez knew this group was built differently.
That edge showed throughout La Salle’s grind to the top, one defined by resilience rather than reputation.
“I love it, man. Right now, I’m speechless,” Cortez said.
“My guys put up a good fight. UP had it all, big shot after big shot, but that didn’t faze us, and that shows our maturity.
“You know, the old La Salle would have just given up. But these guys went on to win a championship, and that’s just what happened.”
Two leagues. Two schools. Two championships. And once again, Cortez was right at the center of it all.
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