MANILA, Philippines – Robert Bolick could have been forgiven if he had left San Beda at the end of the NCAA Season 93 men's basketball tournament.

After all, he had already won one championship with the Red Lions, and would add one more crown at the end of the season. He had established himself as one of the best guards in the league; a jump to the PBA made sense.

However, Bolick felt a responsibility to San Beda that compelled him to stay past this season, and thus fulfill his commitment to the school that became his new home after an uneventful stint at De La Salle University.

"Pwede na ako magpa-draft," Bolick said honestly last Thursday, in the wake of San Beda's sweep of Lyceum of the Philippines University in the NCAA Season 93 Finals. "Pero it's my responsibility to give one more year for San Beda."

Much has been said of how Bolick found his way to the Red Lions' den. He left La Salle after two underwhelming seasons; he would later say that he was but a "bench warmer" for the Green Archers. That he chose to transfer to San Beda, however, surprised even Bolick.

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"Dati, I really hated San Beda," he revealed after their title-clinching 92-82 win over the Pirates, which saw him score nine of his 18 points in the final quarter to lift his team to the victory.

"We played against them sa FilOil," Bolick reminisced. "Si Coach Boyet (Fernandez) pa 'yung coach sa kabila. I really hated them, because they're really good eh. Baser (Amer), Art (dela Cruz), Ola (Adeogun), (Ryusei) Koga. Pag San Beda kalaban, I really don't like them."

"Pero noong naglilipat-lipatan na ng teams, and paalis na ako, I said maybe… siguro 'yung pinaka-hate ko, ito ang magbibigay sa akin ng chance," he added.

Bolick was proven right. His transfer to San Beda marked a resurgence in his basketball career. He first established himself as a lockdown defender in Season 92, notably handcuffing Arellano's Jiovani Jalalon in the Finals to help the Red Lions win the title.

This year, he became a full-fledged star, and San Beda's unquestioned No. 1 option in crunch time. He first showed off his clutch gene in the FilOil Flying V Preseason Tournament, wherein he knocked down the booming triple that gave San Beda the title over his former team, the De La Salle Green Archers.

Nearly six months later, he would repeat that heroics in the Finals against Lyceum. Matched-up against season MVP CJ Perez, Bolick came up with the biggest shots in both Game 1 and Game 2 as San Beda ruled the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.

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Bolick, now a bona fide hero for San Beda, is determined to extend that streak to three seasons for the school that welcomed him with open arms.

"The way they treat me – galing pa lang sa mga teachers, sa fathers, sa tao sa cafeteria, mga guards, kahit sino-sinong nandoon… You're inspired to play for the, because they have the passion," he said.

"Good decision para sa akin (to transfer to San Beda). Tingnan mo naman ako ngayon," he added.

Thus, deciding to stay for one more year was almost a no-brainer for Bolick.

"I love San Beda," he declared. "I will stay one more year for them. I hope to win one more championship for them next year."

With Bolick still in the fold, the Red Lions should be among the early favorites to win the Season 94 crown, even as they anticipate that the LPU Pirates will be back to try and complete their own unfinished business. Bolick himself is already predicting that Perez will be even more determined to bring a title to Lyceum next year after falling heartbreakingly short in Season 93.

"I'm pretty sure that next year, he'll be working hard," said Bolick. "Of course, us, we want to work hard as well."

"But for now," he added, "I hope that we get some rest."

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)