By: Jerome Lagunzad
Surrounded by his players, Lyceum coach Topex Robinson broke down in tears in the arms of assistant coach Ricky Reyes as the magnitude of the Pirates’ stunning downfall in the 93rd NCAA seniors basketball finals started to sink in.
“I just felt that I let the team down, the community down,” he lamented, still teary-eyed after Lyceum saw its title hopes get shattered into pieces by eventual back-to-back champion San Beda behind a 92-82 win in Game 2 on Thursday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“I really failed for the players for all the work they put in. I felt that I wasn’t good enough to lead this team. I feel for them and I feel for their families. I just went back to the feelings of the sacrifices we made, being away from our families, all of those just compiled up. And I really felt sorry for failing to lead this team (to the crown).”
The defeat, which came on the heels of a 94-87 loss in the opener a week ago, put a whimper on what started as a remarkable run for the Pirates, who completed an 18-game sweep of the eliminations that earned them an outright stint in their breakthrough finals appearance since joining the league in 2009.
But for all the talk about its full potential and the ability of reigning league MVP CJ Perez to do it all on both ends, Lyceum apparently still lacked that championship poise in such gut-wrenching stages where cerebral San Beda playmaker Robert Bolick and his battle-tested teammates thrive the most.