Finals MVP Mike Phillips closed his La Salle career as a two-time UAAP champion, calling the Season 88 title run a blessing and the perfect ending to his collegiate journey.
Mike Phillips couldn't have asked for a better ending to his De La Salle University journey.
That is, the Green Archers reclaimed the UAAP men’s basketball title with an 80–72 victory over the UP Fighting Maroons in the decisive Game 3 of the Season 88 Finals at a packed Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, December 17.
Phillips, who put up his season best of 25 points and 18 rebounds, reflected on a long, winding path that finally led to the UAAP mountaintop once again.
“Such a blessing,” Phillips said, as he was also named Finals MVP.
“I came in, I just remember, the first thing that was in my mind was Season 84. I saw Balti [Baltazar], Kurt Lojera, they were my seniors back then. And I just remember their faces, their pain that they had.”
Back in his rookie year in Season 84, La Salle failed to reach the Finals, ironically losing to UP in two games as the lower seed.
And over the years, Phillips watched the roles reverse—himself growing into the senior leader now looked up to by younger teammates.
“All throughout my years, I kind of shifted to being that senior,” he said. “I saw my rookies. They were whispering to me, praying for us the whole game.”
Phillips traced the arc of his UAAP career with perspective: from a Final Four heartbreak, to breaking through, to tasting a bitter Finals loss, and finally, to redemption.
“From not making the Final Four, to making the Final Four, to being a champion, to losing the Finals—and now to winning it finally,” he said. “God couldn’t have created a better story. I’m just so happy that He used me as His servant.”
A legacy beyond basketball
As he closes his collegiate chapter as a champion, Phillips hopes his legacy at La Salle extends beyond trophies and box scores.
“I want to be remembered as an arrow that points up to God,” he said. “Don’t focus on the arrow. Focus on where it’s pointing to.”
Mike Phillips sings his last alma mater hymn with DLSU after leading the Green Archers to the UAAP Season 88 title. | Photo: UAAP
For the kids who look up to him, Phillips offered a simple message.
“If there are kids out there that look up to me, I tell them one thing,” he said. “Look up even higher. Don’t look up to me. Look up to Jesus Christ.”
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Kiko Demigillo’s journey in sports storytelling began with a deep passion for games and athletes, which eventually grew into a full-fledged career.
Now a dedicated sportswriter, Kiko covers a wide range of beats for One Sports, including the PVL, UAAP, PBA, and various international tournaments.