La Salle’s title defense will not be built on continuity alone.
With Finals MVP Mike Phillips and Kean Baclaan no longer in the fold, the Green Archers are entering UAAP Season 89 with a reshaped roster, a thinner championship core, and a heavier burden on one of their most reliable late-game weapons: Jacob Cortez.
The challenge is clear. La Salle must protect its crown while waiting another season for NCAA standout Janti Miller and UST juniors prospect Joaqui Ludovice to become available. For now, the defending champions will have to rely on their holdovers to keep the program firmly in contention.
At the center of that transition is Cortez, who is being asked to do more than score. After serving as one of La Salle’s key offensive options last season, he is now expected to become both a stabilizing force and a stronger locker-room presence for a team trying to retain its championship identity.
“I mean, it’s not there yet,” Cortez said after La Salle’s 70-64 loss to National University in the Filoil Preseason Tournament. “I know I’m not that vocal, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to lead this team to another championship.”
Cortez, known more for his composed play than his words, acknowledged that leadership will require more than shot-making. The Green Archers still have veterans EJ Gollena, Earl Abadam, Vhoris Marasigan, and JC Macalalag, but the departure of Phillips and Baclaan leaves a sizeable gap in production, experience, and on-court command.
Baclaan’s exit, in particular, changes the way opposing teams are expected to defend La Salle. Without his former backcourt partner drawing defensive attention, Cortez is likely to face tighter coverage, especially in late-game situations where he has often thrived.
But Cortez said La Salle’s chances will depend less on isolation plays and more on collective execution.
“Probably less reliance, because a lot of the teams, they’re gonna scheme against me,” he said. “Even though they think I’m the best or most talented player on the court, I still have to move the ball.”
That mindset may define La Salle’s campaign more than any individual scoring surge. For the Green Archers to stay in the championship picture, Cortez believes the offense must become harder to predict, with more players contributing and the ball moving freely.
“No relying on me, but more on the ball movement from us,” he added.
For La Salle, the preseason loss to NU exposed the growing pains of a champion in transition. But it also offered a glimpse of the role Cortez must embrace: not merely as a closer, but as the connector of a team trying to defend its throne with a new cast around him.