‘He made me into an MVP’: Bolick repays Fernandez’ trust with NCAA crown

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

San Beda head coach Boyet Fernandez putimmense trust on Robert Bolick in leading the Red Lions, and when it mattered the most the mustachioed guard delivered and repaid his mentor with the championship.

Bolick finished with 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and a dagger that embedded itself to the collective heart of Lyceum.

With San Beda holding an 86-82 lead with a minute remaining, Bolick took his spot at the top of the key and launched a triple in the face of Mike Nzeusseu that gave the Red Lions an 89-82 lead with 50.9 seconds left.

San Beda eventually won 92-82 to clinch its 21st NCAA seniors basketball title and that championship trophy was Bolick’s payment for the confidence Fernandez had given him.

“I want to thank coach Boyet, because he was the one who helped me grow as a basketball player,” said Bolick in Filipino Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “He made me into an MVP, although I didn’t win the award because I was thrown out.”

“When we lost twice in the eliminations, we had a team-building exercise and I told him to trust us because I think the only way to repay coach Boyet for what he has given us is to win a championship.”

And Bolick’s bone-crushing triple late in the game was the manifestation of the trust Fernandez gave him.

“Coach Boyet always told me ‘I got your back’ so at the start of the fourth quarter that’s the moment you won’t be able to get back to,” said Bolick. “And I kept telling myself that this is the time to step up.”