Far Eastern University rookie UAAP Season 88 high school MVP Wilhalm Lawrence “Cabs” Cabonilas. UAAP Media.MANILA — The future is now for Far Eastern University as its homegrown core seeks to reach new heights in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.
The talents of head coach Sean Chambers’ squad are unquestionable, to say the least, with reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP) Janrey Pasaol hungry to steer the young Tamaraws back to the Final Four after settling for a fifth-place finish last year with only seven wins in 14 games.
READ: FEU’s Pasaol officially hailed Season 88 MVP, UST’s Akowe is ROY
In addition, FEU will unleash UAAP Season 88 high school and Finals MVP Cabs Cabonilas, while Jorick Bautista and Mo Konateh are tasked with providing veteran leadership to a Tams side that also has young guns Marc Burgos, Kirby Mongcopa, Jedric Daa, Rojan Montemayor, and Luke Felipe.
Elias Gish and second foreign student-athlete Montell Shelton will also be in the mix, giving Chambers a deep rotation that he believes can go toe-to-toe with UAAP powerhouses De La Salle University and University of the Philippines.
“I’m feeling like we’re like any team that’s going to compete with the UPs and La Salles where I can go 13 players deep. And I feel confident in all 13 guys,” the PBA legend shared.
The biggest addition to FEU is Cabonilas, a 6-foot-5, do-it-all forward who steered the Baby Tamaraws to the crown last year by posting 15.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks.
Chambers has long been a fan of the 19-year-old, and after seeing what Cabonilas can do on both ends of the floor, he expects the rookie to be a vital piece in FEU’s hopes of reclaiming its place among the UAAP’s best.
READ: UAAP high school hoops MVP Cabonilas stays home, commits to FEU
“He has been an absolute joy to coach. What an amazing kid. Extremely talented, and the sky’s the limit for him,” raved Chambers. “He’s going to be a name we’re going to remember for a long time as he continues to develop.”
But while Cabonilas brings plenty of talent to the table, Chambers knows that his transition to the collegiate game will be made easier by the veterans around him.
That is where Bautista and Pasaol come in, with Chambers leaning on the two to help Cabonilas adjust to the system and fully unlock his potential.
“They have made the transition for Cabs to be very seamless,” said Chambers. “Now we’re able to have seniors like Jorick and juniors like Janrey, for them to help mentor Cabs and teach him the system.”
Beyond helping Cabonilas settle in, Chambers has also given Bautista and Pasaol a bigger responsibility by asking the two star guards to expand their presence on the defensive end.
SACRAMENTO CAMP
Far Eastern University star and UAAP Season 88 MVP Janrey Pasaol. 19th FilOil Preseason Cup.Their defensive growth was put to the test when FEU returned to Sacramento for the second straight year as part of its training camp, where Chambers had the duo go up against some of the United States’ top players fresh from college and those from the NBA G League.
Rather than sheltering his guards from the challenge, Chambers deliberately placed them in difficult situations to see if they could handle the demands he expects from them once the UAAP season begins.
“I left them on an island and said, you have to be able to stop these guys in order to be elite back at home,” said Chambers. “It really was amazing because we got challenged every day.”
For the former Alaska Milk star, the Sacramento trip was not only about testing Bautista and Pasaol against unfamiliar competition but also the entire squad, as Chambers used the camp to further develop a program where his players can take greater ownership of the team.
“That’s what I look for when we do that trip to Sacramento, those who can push us outside of our umbrella here,” he said. “Because a lot of times guys here play against the same guys all the time.”
That ownership, Chambers said, means having the players take greater responsibility not just for executing the system, but also for setting the standard for how a Tamaraw should operate on and off the court.
“That’s really been our biggest improvement this year. We are starting to become more of a player-led program where the players can lead the program. They can show everybody what we do, how we do business,” he added.
BRACING FOR PRE
One of Chambers’ players who was part of that development, however, is no longer with the team, with Veejay Pre now with University of the Philippines.
His departure also means FEU will have to face one of its former key players when it meets the Fighting Maroons, putting an added emotional wrinkle on what is already a crucial test for the Tamaraws.
Chambers made it clear that despite their separation, he still cares deeply for Pre — but that will have to take a back seat when the former Tamaraw faces FEU.
“We wish him nothing but the best,” said Chambers. “But again, it’s like a father. You lost your kid that ran away, so it’s never gonna feel good. It’s always gonna hurt a little bit, but you still love the kid no matter what. And we wish him the best besides when he plays against FEU.”
When the season begins, Chambers wants the Tamaraws to put their history with Pre aside and treat UP like any other opponent.
“We gotta treat him like any other guy now,” he said. “It’s gonna be difficult, but we’re not gonna go and do anything special. We’re not gonna make it personal. Because if we do that, we’re not gonna play our game. We’re gonna play UP.”
READ: Pre preaches patience as he adjusts to UP’s system — ‘Step by step lang’
Chambers also remains grateful for what Pre’s departure taught the program, as the situation pushed FEU to strengthen its commitment to retaining and developing its homegrown players.
Now, the Tamaraws are ready to put that commitment to the test and prove that their future is already here.
“We made sure we held on to our guys. We’re gonna make sure we maintain a personal relationship, build a relationship where our guys stay home and don’t even consider going somewhere else. Again, if the situation with Veejay didn’t happen, I don’t think we’d keep Cab, Marc, Kirby, Janrey, and I don’t think we’d get a guy like Elias,” Chambers added.
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