EVEN before losing Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan to identical knee injuries, La Salle head coach Topex Robinson has always took pride in having the luxury of choice with his Green Archers.
Now with a dire need to have his ‘other guys’ step up, the 50-year-old champion coach has made it a point to remind his players who don’t see the court often that they aren’t just there to fill sudden gaps.
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“It’s just everybody finding their way to contribute in this team. You didn’t come in this program by accident. You came here because we saw something in you,” Robinson said.
Seniors Jcee Macalalag and EJ Gollena heeded Robinson’s call to seize their extended minutes in an 86-77 win over first-round tormentor UST with 18 and eight markers, respectively.
Such individual performances continue to reaffirm Robinson’s belief that even when they’re down a few good men, there’s no stopping the fight to keep the Green Archers’ glory bright.
“We’ve been losing players and that has been one of our drives, and it’s just so fortunate or blessed to have players always being ready to contribute,” he said.
“It’s about just being called and being ready. It’s just fun to watch those guys respond to the challenge.”
‘We, us and ours’
To sum it up in three words, to be exact, the La Salle coach carries a guiding principle to keep the team’s spirits up in tough times.
May it be from their recent injury wave to losing three of their first five games this season, the Green Archers will always go back to Robinson’s battlecry.
“We always talk about ‘we, us and ours.’ It’s always about what you could bring in to the bigger piece of the pie sa team,” Robinson said.
“You lose some players, you gain some players.”
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