Champion lineage: How Jacob Cortez’s San Beda ties boosted La Salle title run

MANILA, Philippines – Two years ago, Jacob Cortez announced himself on the biggest stage, steering San Beda to the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball crown. 

What he did not see coming was how a familiar thread from that run, his bond with fellow Red Lion Yukien Andrada, would quietly power his push toward a UAAP Season 88 title with La Salle.

Cortez, in his first UAAP season, lifted the Green Archers to the championship after dethroning the UP Fighting Maroons in an 80-72 finals Game 3 conquest last Wednesday, December 17, to cap off a wild finals trilogy since Season 86.

Cortez, the son of La Salle legend Mike Cortez, woke up on the morning of Game 3 carrying echoes of San Beda’s 2023 title run. Among them were words of belief from Andrada, who is also coming off a championship high with the resurgent Red Lions in NCAA Season 101.

“I went through my phone earlier this morning, and the apps showed memories. Exactly two years ago, I won with San Beda,” Cortez said. 

“I spoke with Yukien Andrada when we lost Game Two. He said ‘You got this’ and encouraged me,” the La Salle guard said. “I was saying, ‘Yukes, your lives there were easier’ because they had the advantage. Him and Ralph Penuela would talk to me and made me relax.”

Andrada and Penuela played with Cortez in San Beda, playing vital roles in the team’s Season 99 title run.

This year, Andrada’s Red Lions beat fellow contender St. Benilde in the semifinals, before sealing another championship off a sweep of rival Letran, thereby closing the sharpshooting forward’s collegiate career with two titles before his jump to the PBA with Magnolia.

On the other hand, La Salle, whose squad finished fourth in the elimination round, had to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage against the top-seeded NU Bulldogs in the Final Four to secure a finals berth. 

Before clinching the fourth seed, La Salle also had to ward off archrivals Ateneo Blue Eagles in the final game of the eliminations, staving off an early season exit and eventually rising as the lowest-seeded team in 11 years to win it all.

The hardest road

After winning Game 1 through Cortez’s clutch 3-pointer, La Salle then stumbled in Game 2 as UP’s defense shut the guard down in the final stretch. 

While Game 3 did not see Cortez’s usual clutch heroics, Cortez still made his mark with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. His first attempt — a made 3-pointer — set the tone for La Salle throughout the game. 

“We knew after Game 1 that they were going to do whatever it takes,” he said. “(In) Game 3, coach made the right adjustments…and those are what made us win this game.”

La Salle head coach Topex Robinson also played a role in San Beda’s championship journey with Cortez, serving as a color analyst during the championship-clinching game.

“Coincidentally, coach Topex Robinson was the analyst,” he said. “Who would have known two years later on the same day, I’d win for him, with him, for my dream school La Salle? It’s amazing how God works.”

Just as he was at San Beda, Cortez stayed cool, calm, and stoic, unfazed by the weight of a title game.

“When (UP) had momentum on their side, we just gathered up, relaxed and stayed composed,” Cortez said, referring to when the Fighting Maroons led by 3 points, following Rey Remogat’s long-range basket with about four minutes left in the game. “They were looking at themselves.” 

La Salle answered with a blistering 16–5 surge, fueled by free throws and timely buckets from Finals MVP Mike Phillips and Vhoris Marasigan, as Cortez calmly orchestrated the halfcourt offense.

“They said we were a bad free-throw team. I think (free throws) won us the game,” Cortez said. 

Now a champion of two collegiate leagues, Cortez made sure to give a nod to San Beda, with a shoutout to his former school in front of the media after their Game 3 win.

“Shout out to San Beda man, they also won,” he said. – Rappler.com