(UAAP Media)
Jacob Cortez has been turning heads from his NCAA days when he anchored San Beda to a Season 99 crown up to his recent feat with De La Salle University in the UAAP.
The second one was sentimental for the cat-quick guard.
Winning the Season 88 title with the Green Archers was nothing short of spectacular for Cortez as he served the same school his father Mike had suited up before and won two championships with in the early 2000s.
“It’s super special that they are there watching, and I was just grateful that we won it,” said Cortez after La Salle carved out an 80-72 Game 3 win over the State U.
“That’s why I threw the ball to him [Mike Cortez], like I said, I wanna win it for him,” he added.
With 14.7 seconds left and Kean Baclaan was on the line with two free throws to ice the game, Cortez was holding his tears before he pointed to the crowd. And when the buzzer sounded, the 5-foot-11 guard quickly took the ball and threw it toward his dad.
Mike, now an assistant coach for the Blackwater Bossing, received the ball and pointed back to his son as the “Cool Cat” flashed a rare, blissful smile.
“I just wanted to dedicate this to my family,” Cortez continued. “They are everything.”
Indeed, it was too personal for Cortez who vowed to run it back for La Salle in Season 89 where they seek back-to-back titles.
He, alongside Kean Baclaan, Mason Amos, Vhoris Marasigan, and EJ Gollena are expected to lead the pack next season with Topex Robinson at the helm.