SMART Clark Giga City—Phoenix Super LPG has appointed Topex Robinson as its full-time coach as management hopes the champion tactician in the NCAA can bring his remarkable winning culture to the Fuel Masters in the PBA.
“We look forward to achieving more with him as he continues to further develop the team’s potential while establishing a franchise with a winning culture,” the team said in a statement released to reporters on Sunday.
“I’m really grateful to Phoenix management for trusting me in leading this team,” Robinson told the Inquirer just moments after the announcement of a two-year partnership.
Robinson took over the coaching post on an interim basis just two weeks before the Philippine Cup as the team and Louie Alas, who guided the Fuel Masters to their most successful season last year, had an unceremonious parting of ways.
Under Robinson in the bubble, Phoenix won its first two games before taking pretournament favorite TNT and perennial contender Barangay Ginebra to the limit. It takes a 4-3 record heading into the killer stretch of the elimination round where the Fuel Masters are not only trying to make the playoffs but also have their eyes on a top four berth as well.Also under Robinson, Phoenix got back the enigmatic Calvin Abueva from an indefinite suspension, and it was also Robinson who put Abueva in his proper place by declaring that the hopefully reformed star is not the one that will “save the day” for the Fuel Masters.
A former role player in a relatively short pro career, Robinson is well-liked by his players.
“I think that our new offense and our new defense fits our team perfectly,” Matthew Wright said in a previous interview. “Now, we have a [system] that is fine-tuned to our skills”
“We wanted to also reward him a sort of security (of tenure),” team manager Paolo Bugia said.
Robinson will now shoulder an extraordinary task of keeping Phoenix in the thick of things despite a brutal schedule that will feature back-to-back matches over the course of nine days.
“I know that (the coming days) will be challenging, but with the support of the whole team, [I’m] excited,” Robinson said. INQ