A week that could have derailed most teams has tested DLSU, with Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan both sidelined by injuries — and yet head coach Topex Robinson is keen on keeping the Green Archers on track in UAAP Season 88.
Two season-ending injuries in a span of four days would rattle most teams.
But not the DLSU Green Archers—and certainly not their head coach, Topex Robinson.
In what feels like a cruel twist of fate, Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan—two key transfers for La Salle—both went down with MCL injuries within one week, dealing a major blow to the Green Archers' championship aspirations in UAAP Season 88.
For Robinson, however, surrender is not part of the playbook.
“Obviously, those two spots are really huge. I mean, they’re some of the key guys on our team. So, we’re just gonna play our hearts out and try to make sure that we’re together,” Robinson told One Sports.
The Green Archers, who dropped their UAAP crown last year to the UP Fighting Maroons, now face an uphill climb midway through the season.
With chemistry still developing and injuries piling up, Robinson finds himself guiding a squad tested not just by talent gaps, but by emotional resilience.
Yet even in the face of these obstacles, the message remains clear from the champion coach.
“Just like what I always tell everybody on this team, one guy is just a piece of the whole puzzle," he said.
"You know, it’s not the whole. So, yes, we will really miss Kean and Mason, but you also have to remember that there are still 14 guys willing to sacrifice and honor the guys that we lost,” Robinson added.
[ALSO READ: La Salle's Topex Robinson keeps faith as Green Archers face rough patch in UAAP Season 88]
Coach Topex added that the team’s goal is to continue competing at the highest level.
“We cannot just let them roll down and die, you know, their dreams of helping the team win a championship or go places we can’t go alone. That’s the way of honoring those two players,” Robinson said.
'Taft' enough?
At 3-3, La Salle finds itself outside the Final Four picture heading into a marquee Finals rematch with the Fighting Maroons. Entering the final day of the first round, UP has recovered from its own rough patch, now riding a four-game winning streak.
[ALSO READ: Silent operator’ Harold Alarcon leads by example for surging UP in UAAP Season 88]
Still, Robinson sees this challenge as a lesson for his team.
“Well, nobody wants to be in this situation, but things happen because they’re meant to happen. Finding the lessons in what we’re facing right now is going to be key to our success.”
Instead of dwelling on what’s lost, Robinson continues to push the Green Arhcers to play with purpose.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or play the victim. We want to glorify and honor them by always bringing our best—and I’m sure that’s what they want," he ended.
[ALSO READ: UAAP: Topex Robinson gives honest take on Chris Gavina rant after physical DLSU-UE game]
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.