This coach is into some deep stuff.
New De La Salle Green Archers drillmaster Topex Robinson continues to bring his unique coaching approach to Taft. On his Youtube channel, the latest upload shows the 48-year-old hoops tactician talking like a guru, preaching love, peace, and harmony as he tried to instill the kind of mindset he wanted for the entire squad.
“Remember, we breathe championship, eat championship, sleep championship until it becomes a habit,” Robinson said.
As he continued with his emotionally charged lecture, coach Topex touched on the subject he called “worthy rivals.” It was there where he revealed to his players who their biggest rivals are. The Ateneo Blue Eagles, the UP Fighting Maroons or any other UAAP men’s basketball team wasn’t mentioned. According to Robinson, learning from a teammate who’s better at a certain facet of the game is basically what having a “worthy rival” means.
“It’s somebody whose strength is your weakness. That’s your worthy rival,” Robinson explained. “For example, you have a teammate that’s a shooter, and you’re a non-shooter, let him be you’re worthy rival. Instead of getting jealous of him, look at what he’s doing,” he continued.
As the term “worthy rival” was being discussed, a clip of La Salle’s highly touted one-and-done recruit DJ Mitchell was also shown. The combo guard played four seasons of US NCAA basketball and now, he’s about to make his UAAP debut in Season 86. Maybe Mitchell is going to be the “worthy rival” of DLSU’s hotshot floor general Evan Nelle.
It seems like Robinson is eyeing to bring the Green Archers back to the promised land by having his players lean on each other while staying connected on a much deeper level. Who knows? Maybe Robinson’ holistic coaching style is the key to unlocking De La Salle’s immense potential.
Last season, the team failed to make the Final Four despite having one of the most loaded lineups in the tournament. There’s no doubt, Robinson wants to turn things around as soon as possible.