FEU head coach Sean Chambers expects nothing but the best from his promising backcourt.
With the FEU Tamaraws needing to show results, head coach Sean Chambers knew that a dose of tough love was necessary to get his team on the winning track.
Following their 95-76 win over the UE Red Warriors on Sunday, Chambers shared that they had come off a tense practice session marked by serious conversations in a bid to refocus the Tamaraws midway through UAAP Season 88.
“To be honest, on Friday [October 17], we had kind of a serious conversation with players and staff about what hard work and commitment looks like, and where we need to get to. So it was very similar to last year, where we didn’t have a very pretty practice last Friday,” Chambers said in his opening remarks.
Apart from the pressure to rack up some wins, Chambers’ tough love comes from the fatherly bond he has developed with the Tamaraws, a team that he has guided since being appointed as head coach in March last year.
“I’m gonna be tough on you because I love you, like you’re my older kids and I want you to be successful. It’s not about my success because I have a legacy here in the Philippines that would last for a lifetime, but I want them to be successful, and I want them to be rewarded for their hard work.”
Paying it forward
Two players that received a special mention were Janrey Pasaol and Jorick Bautista, who have formed a promising backcourt tandem amid FEU’s rocky start to Season 88.
“Janrey and Doy [Bautista], I’m really proud of them because we had a serious conversation the other day and I told them ‘Hey, this is what I expect from you’. They took it, they lived up to it, and I’m proud of them like they’re my own sons,” Chambers said of the two guards.
Now a sophomore, Pasaol hasn’t shied away from a bigger responsibility, averaging a team-high 18.29 points, 6.57 assists, 4.0 rebounds and an impressive 2.14 steals after seven games. The shifty guard is also second in the Season 88 Most Valuable Player race behind DLSU captain Mike Phillips.
“Since dumating si Coach Sean, malaki na talaga ‘yung binibigay niya na role sa akin eh, so tine-take ko ‘yun na sa practice pa lang eh. Kinakausap ko ‘yung teammates ko na about sa mga simpleng bagay ba? Na dun kami pwede mag-improve, or kung saan din kami nagkakamali,” Pasaol told The GAME in a follow-up interview.
For Pasaol, getting Chambers’ trust as a young player isn’t something that he takes for granted, and paying it forward has been a source of motivation behind his spirited play.
“Oo, ‘yun talaga! Kasi ang hirap kasi pag binigo mo ‘yung isang tao eh, kasi malaki ‘yung tiwala niya tapos bibiguin mo lang. Kailangan mo lang talaga i-take ‘yung responsibility na ‘yun kay Coach Sean, lalo na kilala naman natin, 100 percent ‘yan sa lahat,” the young guard said.
The veteran Bautista is putting up 14.57 points, 2.43 rebounds, and 1.3 steals across seven games behind Pasaol. Like his backcourt mate, the value of Chambers’ trust isn’t lost on the proud FEU-Diliman product.
“Alam mo ‘yung mindset na naka-tiptoe ka palagi kasi kailangan mong gumawa ng good example? Talagang parati ‘yung mindset mo is ayaw mo magpatalo kasi si coach ‘yun eh, alam natin na ayaw niyang magpatalo kaya ‘yun ‘yung wino-work on namin ni Janrey parati. Sabi nya nga [Chambers], ‘Give back’,” Bautista told The GAME in a separate interview.
Now in his fourth playing year, it’s only a matter of time before Bautista enters the professional ranks, and that is why he’s taking it upon himself to learn from Chambers, all while repaying the trust that he has been given as a veteran.
“Tinake ko as personal ‘yung sabi ni Coach, kasi ‘yung sinabi naman niya is ikabubuti naming dalawa [ni Janrey], ikabubuti ko pagdating ng pro ko…kasi ‘yung expectation niya sa amin is sobrang taas, kailangan namin mag-lead as good example.”
On to Round 2
Similar to last year, Season 88 has been a tale of “almost, but not quite” for the Tamaraws, with three of their five Round 1 losses only being decided by one possession. Two of those close losses came by way of a 72-74 heartbreaker against reigning silver medalists DLSU, and a 66-69 decision against defending champs UP.
Knowing that they have enough potential to compete, both Janrey Pasaol and Jorick Bautista are promising to be better ahead of Round 2, not just for Chambers, but for the rest of the Tamaraws as well.
“‘Yung endgame, na parang panapos, ‘yun na lang ‘yung kulang sakin,” Pasaol said. “Tsaka ‘yung kami ni Doy, alam naman namin na kaya naming magpasahang dalawa, so ‘yun lang talaga, kung kailan ako magsshoot, kailan siya magsshoot.”
Added Bautista, “Gagawin ko lang ‘yung best ko, kung ano ‘yung maganda sa team and kung ano ‘yung maitutulong ko; unang-una sa depensa talaga, and doon niyo ako makikita.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.