Stags want more than just a Final Four appearance

Topex Robinson FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The San Sebastian Stags have already exceeded expectations after making it to the NCAA Final Four as the third seed, but their head coach Topex Robinson made it clear that they haven’t crossed the finish line yet.

Robinson huddled his team at center court of the Mall of Asia Arena to give them a little reminder on the eve of their semifinals duel with heavy favorite Letran Wednesday night to culminate their second practice of the day.

“I don’t want this to be our last practice. We want more,” the former PBA point guard said as most of his players acknowledged with a nod. “Five months ago, nobody expected us to be here but before we made it in the Final Four, we knew we’d make it. This is not a surprise to us.”

Make no mistake, no matter how the young Stags have defied the odds, they are far from satisfied with just a semis trip.

“We have more to prove. It’s a blessing that we are here. We want to sweeten the pie, might as well go for it,” Robinson told INQUIRER.net as his players practice their free throws.

“Nobody expected us to be here but what brought us here is the trust we put in ourselves that we can make it,” said first-year guard Jamil Ortouste, who has emerged as the team’s best player and leader.

Robinson was in his usual confident self but as optimistic as he was, he knows what stands in his team’s way.

“We know what Letran is capable of. We how strong their lineup is pound for pound.”

And the work starts by containing set-to-be-named league MVP Raymond Almazan along with veterans Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal.

“We know the damage the he (Almazan) could do to us and it’s all about our five guys defending on him and not just our bigs and pretty much we’re ready for what he could bring to us.

“But their team is not just about Almazan. Mark Cruz and Kevin Racal are also playing pretty good basketball.”

San Sebastian was swept by Letran in the elimination round and if the Stags aim to break the trend, Robinson thinks it’s crucial for his team to jump out the gates.

“I watched our games against them we weren’t really crushed. We had the chance to win. Our second game they started well and we just played catchup basketball and that’s what I’m telling our starters, we can’t afford to have a flat start tomorrow (Thursday).”

“The tempo is important for us and we must maintain the same energy from start to finish.”

The play of one of San Sebastian’s prized rookies too will be as vital.

“I guess it’s crucial for CJ (Perez) to be aggressive.”

Robinson knows that “it would take a lot” to take down a team like Letran but both he and his star guard Ortouste believe it can be done.

“We know we can beat Letran. We believe in that. It’s just up to us on how we’ll be able to push ourselves. We don’t want tomorrow to be our last game,” said Ortouste.

“I always tell them that the fighting champions aren’t them, don’t try to live on that story, you have to make your own history,” Robinson said. “The motivation is we’re the forgotten team and it’s due time to make a name for themselves.”