Dream comes true

Topex Robinson waxed emotional as he was introduced by De La Salle University president Br. Bernie Oca to the Archers as the new men’s basketball coach at the gym on the ninth floor of the Razon Building behind the Taft campus last Thursday. “I never imagined that someday, I would set foot here,” he said. “It was 28 years ago, in 1995, when I first dreamed of being with La Salle. I was a San Sebastian player and would pass the school along Taft whenever we played at Rizal. I’ve been following La Salle for years, first as a fan of TonyBoy Espinosa and John Cardel. I’ll admit that in the UAAP, the three teams I dream of coaching are, in order, La Salle, UST and Ateneo.”

Robinson, 48, was offered twice to stay as Phoenix coach in the PBA – first, for a year and second, for six months with a monthly salary of P375,000. Late last year, he expressed interest to coach La Salle but when Phoenix offered a renewal a few weeks ago, the Archers job wasn’t on the table. Robinson decided to leave Phoenix even without a commitment from La Salle. “Call it a leap of faith,” he said. “If I stayed with Phoenix, the opportunity to coach La Salle might never come again. So I prayed and took my chances. I didn’t want to risk closing the door.” It was only last Thursday, about an hour before meeting the team, that the offer was formalized by La Salle and he accepted.

As school president, Br. Bernie made the decision to bring in Robinson, La Salle’s seventh coach since Season 75 in 2012-13. Team manager Terry Capistrano took Robinson to Br. Bernie’s office for the final interview. “Before meeting Br. Bernie, I went to Sir Terry’s office,” recalled Robinson. “Sir Terry asked me to change to a more formal shirt and luckily, I had one in the car. I was nervous. I had asked Perk (Phoenix player and former Archer Jason Perkins) to advise me on what to say to Br. Bernie and told me to memorize the Alma Mater which I did. Sir Terry and I then went to La Salle together and I was surprised that in the elevator going to Br. Bernie’s office, he was there, too. One of the first things Br. Bernie noticed was my shirt. During our meeting, I didn’t exactly sing the Alma Mater but I recited the lines. When I expressed my mantra of faith, service and communion, Br. Bernie gave me a fist bump. I mentioned before even thinking of winning games, my first priority is to take care of the players because if we don’t build a foundation based on a strong relationship, anybody could beat us. It’s important that our student athletes use their gifts to give, to be of service to others, to inspire and to align with the school values. There’s a book I read of John Gordon on leadership and teamwork and from him, I learned to embrace love, service and care and set my pillars of joy, fulfillment, competitiveness, compassion and communication.”

Robinson said in talking to the Archers, he reminded them of their responsibilities. “Don’t take your position for granted,” he said. “Everybody wants your spot, do your best to protect it. I won’t treat you like kids. You’re responsible student-athletes and accountable for what you do.” More on Robinson in Tuesday’s column.