Topex says he will ‘die trying’to give La Salle championship

Topex Robinson has more than 150 unopened messages on his phone—and that’s the only message he hasn’t read in his inbox since the news broke that he was named La Salle’s head coach.

“Everything went very fast,” he told the Inquirer by phone as he prepared to drive to the Green Archers campus in Manila, where he will meet with other school personnel. “Although I know I need to reach out to people.”

Robinson went to work immediately despite not having signed a contract. But it’s not what he thinks. After all, he had a monumental task ahead of him.

“I think it’s just that I’m committed to knowing what I’m signing up for [up] for,” he said. “I know there will be surprises, but I wouldn’t trade an opportunity like this for anything else.”

Robinson is set to call for La Salle’s elite basketball program that has long been starved for a UAAP title. The architect behind two remarkable runs at the varsity and pro level, Robinson hopes the formula he created in the previous two coaching stints will be able to glory for the fancied Green Archers.

“What I learned from my words [Lyceum] stint at the end of the day, they are just looking for a father figure. It’s the same [Philippine Basketball Association]. It just happened that gentleman [in Phoenix] have more money. He is still human,” he said.

“[I]it is a school that takes care of the players and demands a lot from them. But also only human,” he continued. “So to make that connection, to get them where they want to go — where they can’t go on their own? That’s our plan moving forward.”

Robinson has a crew full of talent. La Salle, which will enter the next UAAP season, will be joined by Gilas cadet Kevin Quiambao, Mythical Team member Michael Phillips, and spitfire guard Evan Nelle.

That bunch, on paper, has screamed talent, but that’s a simplistic way of looking according to the eloquent mentor.

“I understand why in coaching. Again, at the end of the day, they are human. They may have the best talent in the world, but if we don’t connect, we can’t maximize that talent… If we can’t play the right song, we will not be a united front so that this talent is just a group, which will be discarded.”

Unlocking potential

Robinson believes that to unlock La Salle’s potential is to aim high. And he just did it. This is early.

“I don’t want to say that we will be OK because I am a new person. I will not sell that nonsense. La Salle has a vision and if I will not be in line with it, then we will have gone in different directions,” he said.

“That we are new, and set, no one will believe. [not] even us,” he said. “I’ll cut the crap that tells everything. The people I serve are successful people who know how to win.

“Obviously we want to win a championship. It’s either win a championship or you die trying. I don’t want to play it safe, because if we say we’re good if we just make the Final Four—are you serious? I’m here to win a championship. People You can say I’m arrogant, but every day I die trying.

The new UAAP season is more than half a year away, but Robinson aims for his charges to get as much competition as possible for his mission.

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