No secret here: Crack guards will lead Archers bid to reclaim UAAP crown
Leading his school back to collegiate basketball glory is nothing new for Jacob Cortez.
He will have basically the same task at La Salle, the UAAP power he left San Beda in the NCAA for, as he comes in as a seasoned rookie for the Green Archers, who will be trying to wrest back the men’s crown in a few months’ time.
Cortez has three years’ NCAA experience, leading the Red Lions back to the title after a three-year title drought before he packed his bags to play for his father Mike’s alma mater and help plug the hole that the departure of Kevin Quiambao created after Season 87.
And Cortez seems to be fitting in quite well as the Archers grope for chemistry with the UAAP opening roughly four months away.
“The only thing different here is the players,” the point guard told a pair of reporters. “My teammates are new, so they have tendencies that I have to know. But so far, so good.
“Still getting familiar with them,” he added. “It’s good that we have a long time before the UAAP [opening].”
While Cortez is looking to prove himself on the grandest collegiate stage, his new backcourt partner Kean Baclaan, the ex-National University star, is gunning for a first title.
The spitfire guard spent two years with the Bulldogs, whom he led to two straight Final Four appearances that led to third-place finishes. But unlike Cortez, Baclaan’s new chapter wasn’t as seamless as he wanted.
“I struggled during my residency and made a lot of mistakes that I needed to correct,” he said. “In my first time with La Salle, I actually wasn’t able to go to my classes because I was shy and because of culture shock.
“But my coaches talked to me, saying that I needed to do better because this is my new life,” Baclaan went on. “So I slowly fixed myself … and now I am doing better here and enjoying my stay with my teammates who are always supporting me.”
Coach Topex Robinson acknowledged the doubts in opting to go guard-heavy in their recruitment for Season 88. And proving all those doubters wrong is exactly what he wants the Archers to do when they try to pry away the title from the University of the Philippines.
And he expects Cortez and Baclaan to work together in doing that, setting aside their egos all for what’s best for the Archers.
“[Baclaan and I] just let each other do our own thing and [step back for] whoever’s hot,” Cortez said. “He knows when to let me run it … and we just bounce our energies to each other.
“It’s just doing whatever it takes to win and it’s good that I have some experience with winning and then Kean is trying to win a championship himself,” Cortez added. “Not only him, but us as a unit, and it’s just accepting what is best for the team.”
