Twist of fate

Topex Robinson’s recent decision to leave Phoenix in the PBA without an offer for another job wasn’t his first leap of faith. When his Purefoods contract expired in 2009, Robinson left for the US and worked eight months as a caregiver, not knowing if he would ever return to basketball. Then, Robinson got a call from Alaska team manager Dicky Bachmann asking if he would be interested to join the Aces for a conference.

In a leap of faith and twist of fate, Robinson returned to the PBA. He signed up late in the 2009-10 Fiesta Conference and saw action once in the eliminations, twice in five quarterfinal games, four of seven semifinal contests and once in six final outings. Although he played sparingly, the point guard was extended for one season. Robinson, however, knew his playing days were numbered so he asked coach Tim Cone for a chance to apprentice in his staff even if it meant just passing the ball to teammates during shooting drills. That opened the door to a coaching career which led Robinson to work with Cone, Joel Banal, Luigi Trillo and Alex Compton as an Alaska assistant for five years and a head coaching assignment with San Sebastian and Lyceum in the NCAA. Robinson moved to Phoenix in 2020 and piloted the Fuel Masters to three playoffs in five conferences, including a semifinal finish in the Philippine Cup.

Now that the road has led Robinson to La Salle, he knows the challenge is daunting. Over the last 10 seasons, the Archers have gone to six Final Fours, won two championships and rotated six head coaches from Gee Abanilla to Juno Sauler to Aldin Ayo to Louie Gonzales to Jermaine Byrd and to Derick Pumaren. La Salle has missed the Final Four in three of the last four campaigns so there’s pressure on Robinson to bring the Archers back to title contention.

Robinson’s first order of the day is to assess the talent at hand. From last season’s roster, the Archers lost only Deschon Winston, meaning mainstays Evan Nelle, Mark Nonoy, Kevin Quiambao, CJ Austria, Rayven Cortez, Bright Nwankwo, Michael and Ben Phillips, Earl Abadam, Penny Estacio, Joaqui Manuel, JC Macalalag, Aaron Buensalida, Ice Blanco and Francis Escandor are back. But there are outstanding players ready to crack the lineup, including Jonnel Policarpio, Isaiah Phillips, DJ Mitchell, Vhoris Marasigan, LA Andres, Geremy Robinson, Nathan Montecillo, Prince Alao, Josh David and EJ Gollena. Mitchell arrives in the wake of Winston’s departure. The six-foot Fil-Am guard has a year left of UAAP eligibility after playing with the University of Hartford’s D1 varsity. Mitchell’s grandfather Tony Alvarez is a La Salle graduate, former jai alai player in Manila and a successful businessman based in New Jersey.

Robinson’s father James was a US military man from Roanoke, Virginia who retired from the service in 1971 and passed away in 1999 at the age of 68. His mother Maria was from Sorsogon and died two years ago. He’s the youngest of three and his two sisters are employed in the US. Robinson and partner Lerma have three children – Karl, 28, who works in digital marketing; KC, 21, an FEU nursing student and KJ, 19, a former La Salle Greenhills student now in Grade 11 at Treston. In his PBA career marked by two championships, Robinson played under coaches Yeng Guiao at Red Bull, Ryan Gregorio at Purefoods and Cone at Alaska. As a head coach, he won two PCCL titles and a PBA D-League crown.