Report Card: DLSU Scores High After Undefeated UTL Stint
The UP Fighting Maroons got a B+ after their AUBL test. Who’s next?
La Salle, you’re up.
With UAAP teams in the final stages of their offseason preparations, the Green Archers took their talents to Japan, where they competed in the 2026 University Top League (UTL). As reported by ALL-STAR’s Naveen Ganglani, DLSU became the Philippines’ UTL contingent after the Ateneo Blue Eagles “withdrew from the competition in June in the aftermath of the Aurora team-building tragedy.”
So, how did DLSU fare in this three-day tournament? And is there any merit to comparing the Archers’ UTL stint with the Maroons’ cup of coffee in the AUBL?
In my humble opinion—that’s a precursor to hot takes, is it not?—the overall talent in the UTL wasn’t quite on the same level as the AUBL pool. Case in point: Two former World University Basketball Series champions (National Chengchi University and Korea University) competed in the AUBL this year. Talk about fierce(r) competition.
But here’s what makes the UTL a rigorous assessment of a college team’s readiness: the grueling schedule. If you think that the Green Archers had an easier time at the Yoshinogari Culture and Sports Gymnasium, think again. The defending UAAP champions had to play two games a day, for three straight days.
Forget spacing things out: During the first two days of the competition, La Salle had to play game no. 2 about a couple of hours after game no. 1 came to an end. Then, on the final day, DLSU took on Japan University of Economics just one hour after they battled Kyushu Koritsu University. Exhausted yet?
Coach Topex Robinson dug into his bench, yes, but the team’s rotation pieces certainly had their lungs and their wills tested in this UTL gauntlet. Participating in this unique experience, the Green Archers definitely got to learn a lot about themselves ahead of their title defense in UAAP Season 89.
With that said, let’s hand out some grades.
The Jacob Cortez of It All: A+
At the head of the honor roll is Jacob Cortez. The Cool Cub makes basketball look so effortless.
Cortez is the court general that every basketball coach has on their wishlist: a calming presence who steadies the ship with intelligent plays and timely shots. Teams like Kanagawa University and Nagoya Gakuin University found out firsthand what UAAP squads struggled to contain last season—silky smooth midrange jumpers, precise cross-court passes, and a reliable outside shot.
The second-generation Cortez wields all these weapons, but perhaps his best asset is making his teammates look good. Better, actually. Peep this sequence from the first game against Kanagawa where Cortez gets the hand-off from Luis Pablo, drawing a crowd with the two-man game and finding Mason Amos for a wide open three on the weak side.
In the final game against JUE, the trio ran a variation of this classic European set where Amos passed up the shot and dumped the ball inside to Pablo, who finished inside the paint.
Amos and Pablo got those baskets to go, but those high-quality looks were made possible by Cortez’s playmaking. At the same time, he demoralized his own defenders with his specialty of the house: clutch shots. Twice in the last two minutes of the JUE game, Cortez hit a middy to keep his opponents at bay and seal the Green Archers’ title conquest in the UTL tournament. Top marks for you, sir.
Is Cortez the best point guard in the UAAP today? Discuss.
Secondary Creation: B+
At some point, however, Cortez has to take a seat on the bench.
Last season, there were stretches when Kean Baclaan anchored La Salle’s reserve unit and kept the team in control of the game. Now that Baclaan has moved to the next chapter of his career, does La Salle have enough playmaking in their backcourt when Cortez isn’t on the floor?
In the Archers’ UTL stint, we’ve seen how this could be a problem. When Cool Cub wasn’t setting the table, his teammates made a mess on multiple occasions. As far as that tournament goes, there was no Green Archer who could draw multiple bodies and find open teammates as proficiently as Cortez.
And yes, that includes backup point guards Jason Cibull and Joaquin Tovera. On the one hand, Cibull doesn’t quite have the same gravity to free up shooters on the perimeter, and there have been instances in which on-ball pressure has forced him to make bad passes. On the other hand, Tovera is more of a scorer than a facilitator at the onset of his UAAP career.
Even when Cortez was in the game, there was a stark difference between plays orchestrated by him and plays that weren’t. Case in point: In La Salle’s second game of the tournament, they squandered a 74-61 lead over Chuo University at the start of the fourth quarter, thanks in part to bad decisions made by other ball handlers. With a little over four minutes left, Andrei Dungo came off two screens, picked up his dribble, and ended up throwing the ball away. Shortly thereafter, Vhoris Marasigan forced not one but two shots, missing both times.
All that time, Cortez was right there to try to stabilize things and come up with a better look. La Salle ended up winning 83-79, but their fourth-quarter performance in that game sharply contrasts their finishing kick in their other UTL outings, when Cortez was firmly in the driver’s seat.
Which leads us to this question, class…
Is La Salle equipped to win the Cool Cub-less minutes?
Post-Mike Phillips Adjustments: A-
I’m not used to writing a DLSU analysis without mentioning Mike Phillips at the very start. So, let’s invoke the name of last season’s Finals MVP.
As far as La Salle goes, the biggest question on every UAAP fan’s mind has been their new identity in the post-Phillips era. In particular, how would DLSU’s defense look like, now that Phillips’ prolific rebounding and switchability on the perimeter could no longer be counted on?
I’ll say this much: Even without Motor Mike, the Archers’ calling card in Season 89 could be their defense. If their defensive execution in this year’s UTL is any indication, the defending champions should be just fine.
To mitigate the gap in rim protection that Phillips left behind, the Archers can crank up the defensive pressure before the ball even enters the shaded lane. Early on in the UTL tournament, La Salle made the decision to constantly blitz ball handlers coming off ball screens. Time and time again, the tactic of sending two at the ball paid off for the Archers, who got to force turnovers and control game pace. Not to mention prevent last-minute heroics—just like they did here.
Two other things that DLSU did on the defensive end: They broke out the 2-3 zone in certain stretches, and there were a few times as well when they put on a 2-2-1 full court press. In both cases, the Archers got what they wanted, more often than not. Look for them to disrupt rhythm and force miscues with these defensive strategies in Season 89.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the La Salle bigs who showcased their versatility in this tournament. It’s probably not a smart thing to try to be Phillips 2.0, but Pablo and Amos don’t need to do that—they can just be themselves. Pablo’s agility and finishes at the rim will be an even bigger problem for UAAP teams this season, and Amos is taking opposing bigs (not to mention his critics) to school with his solid playmaking from the high post.
Also…Mo Kulang, come up to the front of the classroom, please.
Much has been said about the Archers’ FSA concerns, but this past week, Kulang has shown what kind of frontcourt asset he can be: a high-energy rebounder who can also deter easy shots in the paint. In the tightly contested fourth quarter of DLSU’s game against Kyoto Sangyo University, Kulang was making good decisions on the defensive end: switching to contain a pick-and-roll in one sequence, serving as rim protector in another.
If Kulang makes high-IQ defensive plays on a consistent basis, the Archers can raise their ceiling on that end of the floor. With blitzing and the occasional full-court pressure, they’re already looking lethal. (Side note: In that first game against Kanagawa, a number of DLSU perimeter defenders got blown by as they tried to contain ball handlers driving to the rim. They might want to clean that up.)
So, can La Salle hold on to its title even without Phillips? Let me hear it!
Final Grade: A-
Say what you will about the quality of opponents in the UTL, but it’s not easy to go undefeated in six games that weren’t exactly spaced out. With just a few weeks left before the UAAP festivities begin, the Green Archers are looking quite sharp on the defensive end—a positive sign in the post-Mike Phillips era.
As far as scoring is concerned, Jacob Cortez remains the guy. But imagine how much scarier this team can get if other playmakers step up.
What grade would you give the Archers’ UTL stint? Hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and X! Class dismissed.
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