Making room for improvement as Tamaraws keep semis bid alive
At A Glance
- Far Eastern University's 84-83 upset win over De La Salle came when it mattered most as it kept its Final Four hopes alive in the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament over the weekend.
FEU head coach Sean Chambers (UAAP Media)
Far Eastern University’s 84-83 upset win over De La Salle came when it mattered most as it kept its Final Four hopes alive in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament over the weekend.
The win -- which came from a game-winning basket from Kirby Mongcopa off Janrey Pasaol’s assist -- not only snapped the Tamaraws’ five-game losing skid over the Green Archers, but also offered a glimpse of what they are capable of as far as head coach Sean Chambers was concerned.
“As I left the house today, I kept saying to myself, we have to beat one of the big teams in this tournament in order for us to finally arrive,” said Chambers.
“We have to eventually have a level of maturity where we can win one of these games when it's closed, and if we can we feel like the sky’s the limit for this team,” he added.
Their balanced attack boosted their record to 5-7, enough to keep its semifinal hopes alive with just a game and a half behind No. 4 La Salle.
Chambers said the future is bright for his youthful team, but that would depend on their determination improve further.
“The sky’s the limit for them if we continue to work hard,” he said.
So far, the team has been responding to the challenge.
“Bago yung La Salle game, sobrang na-frustrate si coach sakin. Kinausap nya ako na kailangan kong i-reset yung mindset ko na dumipensa,” said Pasaol. “Nadala ko naman yung game na to. Nag-respond naman ako sa ginawa sakin ni coach.
“Grabe rin ‘yong preparation namin sa practice and si Coach Sean, nakita namin sa practice na sobrang focused niya and ‘yong galit niya sa amin pinapakita niya sa amin na kaya namin. Binigay lang namin ang best namin,” Mongcopa added.
FEU’s last two games against University of the East and University of Santo Tomas are expected to be crucial as it would determine its semis fate.