La Salle star Mike Phillips and coach Topex Robinson during a UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Mike Phillips rallied behind La Salle coach Topex Robinson amid the controversy surrounding him from their first-round win over rival University of the Philippines last week in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
Robinson had a lot to say after receiving stern warnings from the league over his heated exchange with UP player Reyland Torres that displayed “behaviors that do not reflect the values of sportsmanship upheld by the UAAP and Fiba.”
Phillips, who had 27 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists in their 77-68 win over the University of the East on Saturday said that all his coach wants is the best for their team.
READ: UAAP: Topex Robinson sorry for actions, hurt over accusations
“Coach Topex has proven time and time and time and time again that he has our backs. He’s a man of his word ever since his very first training coming in here. He’s a guy who when we win, he puts all the credit on the team, and when we lose, he takes all the blame,” said Phillips.
“That’s hard to do time and time and time again. He just lets us be men, just lets us be kids. We’re out here playing this game we love and he’s taking all the heat.”
“So even if Coach Topex has anything with the UP situation, I just want everyone to know that myself, the whole entire team, and the whole La Salle community is behind him because he’s proven that he’s been behind us,” said the La Salle big man.
READ: UAAP: Topex Robinson, Reyland Torres avoid suspension
“When the lights were off, it could’ve been easy to say, hey, it’s the team. But when the lights are on and the lights are off, you can see Coach Topex is a man that really…he’s a man of his word and he sticks up for his players. So when we make a mistake, he sticks up for us. I’m not really too familiar with the situation, but whatever happens, whatever comes out, whatever’s happening with Coach Topex, know that we’re behind him, and anything that has been going on, we’re taking the weight off of him this time.”
“If there’s any statement, in all my years here in La Salle with Coach Topex, it’s really that Coach Topex has our backs, and that means so much for us. A righteous man falls down seven times and gets up eight,” he added.
Phillips thanked his coach for staying focused on taking care of the team despite the controversy as the Green Archers stayed hot with a fourth straight victory to kick off the second round.
“He’s really an extension of Jesus, because look at him, he’s human. He’s human. We are all human. Even though if we mess up, even though tempers fly – we go back and forth a lot – but he’s always there for us. Even at our lowest, he’s there for us. Now that we’re at a higher point, he’s still there for us,” he said.