By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
From red to green. From Mendiola to Taft.
Welcome to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, Jacob Cortez.
A day after penning a heartfelt message to the San Beda Red Lions community following his departure from the NCAA, the son of DLSU legend Mike Cortez will be suiting up for the UAAP and will follow the footsteps of his father in Taft.
Multiple sources already confirmed that the recently crowned NCAA champion with San Beda already transferred to DLSU and will grace the UAAP once he is eligible to play for the Green Archers.
DLSU is in need of a floor general who will replace DLSU’s senior guard Evan Nelle and Cortez’s arrival will further boost their hopes of a UAAP dynasty.
It was nothing but a spectacular display kind of a season for Cortez after leading the Red Lions to a championship title last NCAA Season 99.
Cortez was impressive from regular season to the playoffs and wrapped up his stint with San Beda with an average of 15.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
Last month, Cortez already hinted that the Green Archers were already targeting him after confirming that he is already accepting offers from the other UAAP schools.
Cortez already attended the first few years of his secondary education in La Salle Green Hills and a reunion with his former school finally materialized.
San Beda had one of the most impressive title runs in the history of the NCAA after they erased Lyceum’s twice-to-beat advantage during the semifinals.
In the finals, the Cardinal drew first blood and were a win away from an NCAA title but the boys from Mendiola completed the reverse sweep after bagging games 2 and 3.
Despite not clinching the NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, Cortez was still vital to San Beda’s campaign after acting as the squad’s glue, scoring points when his team needed him the most while also setting up his teammates for easy baskets.
Now, Cortez will be playing in an entirely different system under the tutelage of DLSU head coach Topex Robinson as their brand of attack thrives on their defense and run-and-gun scoring.