From a perfect 18-0 record, the LPU Pirates’ NCAA campaign is now in serious jeopardy.
The Pirates, who booked an outright finals berth thanks to an elimination round sweep, have found themselves facing the difficult task of beating the San Beda Red Lions twice in a row in the NCAA finals after dropping Game One of the championship series.
But LPU head coach Topex Robinson remains unperturbed and embraced the huge task ahead in the Pirates’ quest for their first-ever title.
“This is not the way we’re going to be defined. That’s what I told my players after we lost Game 1,” Robinson told InterAksyon. “Looking back, we’ve been through some adversities along the way.”
“Even our 18th win wasn’t easy. We were really tested and the game went to the breaks of the game. Our first loss against San Beda also went to the breaks of the game that it could go either way. If there’s one positive sign, it’s the fact that we were not dominated the way San Beda dominated the other teams.
“Now, it’s really up to us how do we respond to the adversities. I’ve been through a lot of adversities as well. This is nothing new for me.”
One thing that keeps it going for Robinson and the rest of the Pirates was the outpour of encouragement they received even from their rival teams.
“I’ve been receiving text messages, telling me and the rest of the team that it’s OK and it’s not the end of the world yet,” added Robinson. “The team realized that. Buhay pa rin naman kami and basketball lang ito.”
“But it’s really encouraging. It’s a realization na pwede pa, that it’s not over yet and we can still survive this. Whatever happens, we’ll be looking for something that would define our season.
“There was this owner of LBC Batangas Blades before who watched the game and told me that the only time he enjoyed watching a basketball game was during the time they have a team in the MBA and Game 1 of the finals. To me, that was something else. It shows that we might be doing something great and people are beginning to love us.”
“If we lose a game, we would rather lose Game 1. We never expected a perfect season anyway. Whatever happens, we would go out there and continue fighting.”