What does Topex Robinson Bring to La Salle?
MANILA, Philippines – La Salle has announced their new head coach in Michael Christopher “Topex” Robinson, who takes over from Derek Pumaren.
Congratulations to La Salle because you have got yourself a very good coach who knows how to win (both as a player and as a coach). He is a coach who knows how to build winners.
I covered Topex very closely from his time as the head coach of the San Sebastian Stags to being an assistant with the Alaska Aces and eventually to the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates.
With the Stags, he was at the tail-end of the Calvin Abueva-Ronald Pascual-Ian Sangalang years that he inherited from Ato Agustin.
However, it was the team of CJ Perez, Leo de Vera, Bradwyn Guinto, Jamil Ortuoste and Jovit dela Cruz where he showed his true coaching chops in 2013 (they lost to Letran in the semifinals). And of course, later with the LPU Pirates, who he took to back-to-back NCAA finals appearances.
Here is what I can say about Robinson as a coach.
He can recruit
Seriously. What is the budget for San Sebastian or LPU? Look at all those nuggets that he unearthed with those teams? He also took in disenchanted refugees from other teams and turned them into good players and winners.
With the muscle of La Salle behind him, he will have some blue chippers at his disposal. But you have to give him ample time to put down what he wants from this team.
He can make believers out of his players
In that two-year run of LPU to the NCAA’s Big Dance, I was given a lot of access to the team — practice, pre-game, halftime, post-game and even team dinners.
When Topex and his assistants got all the players with the Stags and the Pirates to buy into the system, they had a venue to voice out opinions on what they did on the court and they had a voice in the locker room.
And that was incredible. Because they all had a stake in the wins and losses. And even when they lost, there was no finger pointing. They all were all in this together. They all liked each other on and off the court. They all fought for one another even during tough times.
You have to understand that what Robinson brings to his teams is character development as well. You have to give him more than a full training camp to work with the players. If you are impatient for a championship, then it will not work.
While I am not suggesting that Robinson does not work well with pros, he works his best with young players because he is also a teacher and not a father figure but more of an older brother to the players.
Mark my words, he will turn the team around and make them compete.
And that leads us to the next.
He can make his team play an exciting brand of basketball
They play great full court defense, they pass the ball, attack the rim, and play with a lot of emotion.
But the pace they play can be withering to opponents. His teams in San Sebastian and Lyceum were always in the face of their opponents. They ran and they sure gunned.
Now just because they play a spectacular offense do not think they do not play defense. Robinson himself was the recipient of an All-Defense Team in the PBA. And, during his time with the Stags as a player — he was a feisty one.
So all eyes will be on what he can bring to La Salle.
- Latest
- Trending
