Winning continues to follow the DLSU Green Archers even in the offseason. 

La Salle secured an unprecedented 3-peat in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup, emerged as the PinoyLiga Collegiate Cup Season 3 champions, and settled for a first runner-up finish in the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

In the 39th Kadayawan Invitational Tournament, the Green Archers stayed toe-to-toe with PBA teams and managed to beat the Converge FiberXers and the Phoenix Fuel Masters. However, La Salle could not figure out the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, losing both their games. The last one came in the championship game, with the 22-point loss serving as the biggest loss, but their campaign was nonetheless successful, as many lauded DLSU’s play for much of the tourney.

Off the court, the Green Archers continued to experience success.

Many Lasallians will be the first to admit that getting Mason Amos was not in their 2024 bingo card, but they will nonetheless welcome the former Ateneo Blue Eagle, who at one point proved to be a thorn in their side in UAAP Season 86.

This is, of course, on top of their offseason recruits in Jacob Cortez, Alex Konov, Kean Baclaan, Luis Pablo, Andrei Dungo, and Lian Ramiro, among others. La Salle has simply been relentless when it comes to their recruitment to the point that in a few weeks time, the list of names could see some changes. History has shown that it has at times been a double-edged sword, but who can blame them when the recent championship droughts have never lasted more than six years?

There’s a lot of good news to go around, but with the UAAP set to open in a little bit over a month, DLSU will be the first to tell you that the trophies and the recruits won’t mean much if they can’t attain success in the UAAP.

Rather than focusing on the wins against the professional teams and the fact that they’ve made at least the finals of their tournaments thus far, it’s best to focus on what it took for the Green Archers to get those wins. The ball movement and the defense have been pretty good even with the breakdowns here and there. That’s expected given how they’re working their way back into form while integrating new players and those nursing injuries. Even so, the flashes of chemistry have been evident and if La Salle can build on this, they’ll be as dangerous as ever.

The Lasallian community should also be happy seeing DLSU fighting back rather than blowing leads. While they did let the FilOil title slip away, the Green Archers have generally been better with working through each possession. Patience is one thing, but capitalizing on what the matchups reveal is as important. After all, execution will become as critical as ever, more so with La Salle now having the targets on their backs. 

DLSU will now set their sights on the World University Basketball Series, where they will take on teams from Australia, Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Japan, and Korea. They’ll encounter varying styles on foreign soil (but if overseas Filipinos come in droves then it becomes a de facto home environment) and it’s a good test of where the Green Archers currently are. 

Could we see La Salle’s potential UAAP lineup in Japan? Yes, but DLSU head coach Topex Robinson had plans to bring in the likes of Baclaan, Cortez, and Pablo with the team to Tokyo. Robinson is playing the long game here, giving his players-in-waiting an opportunity to gain experience and build their confidence in pressure-packed situations. It seems that reps are important for Robinson and his coaching staff and to be fair, maximizing reps can lead to good winning habits.

The recurring theme within the DLSU Green Archers in the Topex Robinson era has been continuous improvement day in and day out. UAAP Season 86 was a testament to that and the offseason victories and the players eager to join La Salle’s program only give it further credence.

Each victory on and off the court deserves to be celebrated, but the work being done should be equally lauded, as these will be what could drive them to potential back-to-back UAAP titles.