Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
There’s no denying the fact that Robert Bolick would give his all for San Beda.
His 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and one dagger triple led the Red Lions to a 92-82 conquest of Lyceum in the second game of the Finals that gave San Beda its 21st NCAA seniors’ basketball crown.
Bolick has been very vocal of his love for San Beda but before he wore the red-and-white of the school he donned De La Salle’s green-and-white motif.
And when he was a Green Archer, Bolick didn’t have the same sentiment for San Beda that he has now.
“Actually I really hated San Beda,” said Bolick in Filipino Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “I really hated the team because they were so good.”
Some of Bolick’s time as a Green Archer was spent facing San Beda in the Filoil Flying V tournament where he had to face the likes of Baser Amer and Ryusei Koga.
And, ironically, Bolick’s current head coach Boyer Fernandez was the one in charge of San Beda during the time the mustachioed guard despised the Red Lions.
Bolick’s resentment, though, eventually gave way for affection when transferred to his new home and became the dynamic point guard that he is.
“The way they treated me, from the teachers, the fathers, the guys at the cafeteria, the security guards, whoever it is inside our campus, you’d be inspired to play because of them and their passion” said Bolick.
“It was a good decision for me to transfer from La Salle to San Beda.”
And in the three years Bolick stayed in Mendiola, the first one was spent on his residency, he garnered two titles and played under a couple of influential coaches in Fernandez and Jamike Jarin.
“Even though I was a new player, coach Jamike trusted me and I improved a lot under him and when coach Boyet took over my confidence grew even bigger,” said Bolick.
“I love San Beda, I will stay one more year and I hope to win one more championship next year.”