MANILA – In the electric haze of Smart Araneta Coliseum, where green-and-white dreams collide with blue-blooded rivals, Jacob Cortez stepped into the spotlight Wednesday night—not as a shadow of his legendary father, but as the unflappable force steering De La Salle University straight into the UAAP Season 88 Final Four.
With a poise that echoed Mike Cortez’s glory days—those twin championships in the ’90s that still haunt Ateneo’s nightmares—the younger Cortez orchestrated a gritty 78-72 comeback triumph over the Eagles, clinching the fourth seed and slamming the door on both Ateneo and Far Eastern University. It was La Salle’s eighth win in 14 outings, a ticket punched to the semis against top-seeded National University, the very Bulldogs who twice trampled the Archers this season and now wield twice-to-beat armor.
Jacob, donning that familiar No. 14 like a badge of quiet destiny, shrugged off the dynasty talk with the same steely calm his old man wielded on these courts. “I haven’t won a championship for these guys yet,” he quipped postgame, eyes fixed on the prize rather than the parallels in playmaking wizardry or ice-veined jumpers. “For me, I see [no similarities] yet.”
But the tape doesn’t lie. Trailing by 11 in a rivalry as raw as they come—where Mike once carved up Ateneo like a holiday roast—Jacob erupted for 20 points on a scorching 9-of-12 shooting, including a fourth-quarter barrage of 12 that flipped the script. Toss in seven dimes, three boards, and a pilfered pass that sparked the dagger: a silky mid-range bomb with 12.4 ticks left, ballooning the lead to 76-72 and silencing the Big Dome faithful.
“I’ve practiced those kinds of shots ever since I was a kid,” Cortez revealed to reporters, a grin cracking his poker face. “I work on it by myself in the gym. This is the best way to do it—during a La Salle-Ateneo game, a really crucial game.”
The rally was a full-team symphony, though. Big Mike Phillips, La Salle’s rebounding beast, muscled in 13 points and a monstrous 16 boards, including a tip-in that snapped a 72-all deadlock with 46 seconds to play. Teammate Dom Escobar drew the trap that freed Cortez for the steal, but it was the point guard’s cool-as-ever vibe that held the line—no panic, just precision, much like pops in his prime.
“No pressure, no pressure at all,” Jacob insisted when pressed on the family legacy, the weight of expectations that could crush lesser guards. “Hopefully, I will fulfill that this year.”
The path ahead? Steep as a Quezon City incline. La Salle draws the short straw against NU, a squad that’s owned them head-to-head and enters with home-ice vibes in the semis. Across the bracket, defending champs University of the Philippines—the No. 2 seed—square off with No. 3 University of Santo Tomas, both packing twice-to-beat perks. For the Archers, it’s win-or-go-home from jump, but if Wednesday’s resurrection is any harbinger, Cortez’s mark on this program is just getting etched deeper.
In a league where history hangs heavy, Jacob’s not chasing ghosts—he’s building his own legend, one clutch bucket at a time.