Topex Robinson soaked it all in after the final buzzer as his then-defending champions DLSU Green Archers bowed to the UP Fighting Maroons after the UAAP Season 87 Finals Game Three loss.
DLSU head coach Topex Robinson was the epitome of grace as he absorbed the Game Three loss of his DLSU Green Archers to UAAP Season 87 champions UP Fighting Maroons at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday night.
There were no tears, no hung heads. Rather, Robinson stood tall and proud, facing the celebrations of his foes as confetti rained down on the hardcourt of the iconic Big Dome.
During school hymns, Robinson was fixated on looking at the victors of their three-game battle. Instead of focusing on the loss that two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao and his team faced, it was all about staying in the present that mattered to Robinson.
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Known to be one of the more articulate basketball coaches out there, Robinson waxed poetic about the whole encounter, and what it meant to him, even if his team was on the wrong side of the championship battle.
"You just enjoy the moment. You know, it's not always gonna go the way you wanted it to be but I just wanna keep on soaking in this moment because that's gonna be also, you know, the things that I will remember heading into Season 88,” said Robinson.
“I wanna feel this moment and just giving respect where respect is due… I couldn't ask for a better end for this game than just you know, playing in that crowd because you don't know if you're gonna be playing in the finals next season because that's guaranteed but the moment that— I mean, it's just nice to be a fan of basketball as well kaya you just enjoy. You know, kudos to that team. They really gave us a run for our money and we're just happy to experience it," he added.
Game Three drew a record UAAP crowd at the Big Dome, as 25,248 fans saw the action live in the arena. Understanding the impact, Robinson wasn’t about to ruin the moment just because he was on the losing end of a highly entertaining series.
Many on social media have pointed out that sitting two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao for a breather with around five minutes left might have been a crucial factor in the loss.
Robinson was asked if he had any regrets about that call.
"It's--those are the breaks, you know... I cannot change what I decided on. I'll be--I take full responsibility of it. So, 'yun 'yung mga bagay that kinda obviously pag-inisip mo pa, it's done and over with. I guess the earlier, you know, you recover from this experience, the better for us kasi at the end of the day, I make the decisions and I'll be responsible for all the decisions that I make," he said.
Not one to dwell on the losses, Robinson simply wants to look at what happened as a motivation for the next year, especially as they now miss Quiambao who is headed for South Korea.
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'“Yun lang naman iyong inano namin eh. We don't cry over spilled milk. It's done and over with. We just came out [fighting]. Sabi ko nga sa dugout with so much pride in the way we fought. It was a challenging season for us,” said Robinson.
“There's a lot of things that happened along the way but just like our president, Bro. Bernie Oca [said], it just brought the community together. You know, it's just so nice to see the community back and that's gonna also ignite us come Season 88," he added.