NCAA: San Beda’s Jacob Cortez admits leadership still needs work

San Beda’s Jacob Cortez calls for a play against Letran. –NCAA Photo

MANILA, Philippines—Jacob Cortez is shaping up to be San Beda’s veteran heading forward in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament but there’s still room for improvement, according to him.

Cortez was one of two Red Lions players who scored a team-high 14 points in the squad’s 68-63 win over rival Letran at San Juan Arena on Friday.

“[There’s] still a lot to work on, earlier I showed my weakness defensively but it’s still a long season so it’s something to develop on for me,” said Cortez.

The former UST player failed to contain his guard counterpart in Kurt Reyson, who scored 22 markers for Letran.

Cortez, however, was on all ends of the floor with three boards, three assists, a steal and a block. 

His stellar play gave the Red Lions a roaring 3-1 start to the season.

But all credit was not on him. Cortez also reiterated that trust was a huge reason for San Beda’s victory over long-time rival Letran, which dropped to a winless 0-4 record in the season.

“Coach (Yuri Escueta) told me to trust my players more and come down the stretch, that’s what I did. Eventually, Yuks (Andrada), Alex (Visser) and our free throws started to go in so it’s just trust. I give credit to them.”

Cortez’s leadership will be put to test against a much tougher opponent on Sunday when the Red Lions go up against Lyceum, which is undefeated in five games.