La Salle big man Mike Phillips turns emotional during the post-game press conference after a win over UST in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Mike Phillips played with added strength and motivation in powering defending champion La Salle past University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament on Sunday night.
Phillips had one of his best games of the season, notching 12 points and 18 rebounds–half of which coming on the offensive glass–and he dedicated his performance to “one of his closest friends” Doleo Susalta, a security guard at the Green Archers’ dormitory who passed away Friday.
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“I want to dedicate this game to Doleo Susalta. He was someone who took care of us, he was a part of the La Salle family,” said an emotional Phillips, who bursted into tears during the post-game press conference shortly after La Salle’s 88-67 win at Araneta Coliseum. “Last night, I was just in a dark place and I saw the most beautiful sunset after training. I knew it was him. He was someone who really meant a lot to me. He taught me Ilonggo. If you’re listening to this, my friend, I love you, and I hope to you soon, and I will take care of your family.”
READ: UAAP: La Salle starts slow, finishes strong in rout of UST
An emotional Mike Phillips offers his game to their late dormitory security guard, Doleo Susalta. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/QQq1zSpxNU
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 29, 2024
“He always did so much and a lot of times, he did a lot of night duty and he was just doing the extra effort for us to make sure we’re taken care of, more than just keeping us safe. He would always check in on us and I would talk to him for hours at night. He was one of my closest friends. I met him here ever since I first came here in the Philippines,” he added.
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The fourth-year big man promised to take care of the late guard’s family.
“He would always never turn a blind eye to me and never turned his back to me. He would always listen to anything I had to say and I learned so much from him, about what it means to be a Christian here and he really taught me a lot. He’s so open, about his family, his wife, his two kids, and they just recently started college in UP. So, he’s just someone that meant a lot to me,” he recalled.
READ: UAAP: Mike Phillips says faith fueling La Salle
“It takes a village. I think I kind of speak for every one of my teammates. We can’t really do this on our own. I don’t want to put myself in a partial light, because I’m just a part of the team, and everyone else is going through this,” Phillips said. “When you don’t feel like waking up, don’t like going to practice, we just look around and be grateful. When I came here today, I just tried my best to see what I’m grateful for, and that’s everybody, it’s you guys here, it’s the crowd. It’s just like a movie to me. Every day is a blessing because you never know when it’s your last day.”
Phillips and La Salle face University of the Philippines a week from now in a rematch of last year’s finals.
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