MANILA — Far Eastern University (FEU) has staged a dramatic turnaround in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament, a stark contrast to its dismal starts in previous years.
After stumbling out of the gate with identical 1-5 cards in their first six games during Seasons 87 and 88, the Morayta-based Tamaraws have clicked under head coach Sean Chambers, launching into a promising 4-2 start.
This resurgence featured a four-game winning run highlighted by statement victories over powerhouse opponents De La Salle University, the University of the Philippines, and a revamped Ateneo de Manila University squad.
However, that momentum hit a snag following an 81-69 setback against the University of Santo Tomas (UST). The defeat exposed glaring rotation issues for FEU, particularly as their backcourt struggled to contain taller opposing players.
Despite falling short in their toughest test yet, the team views the setback as a crucial learning curve.
“To be honest, if anybody came into season and said, ‘Hey, in the first round, you’re either 4-3 or 5-2.’ I think everybody from FEU will be signing up for that,” said Chambers. “So yeah we’ll take that compared to how we started… but the opportunity to go 5-2 we’re all like we’re pretty, we want it.”
“That’s our goal…. At the beginning of the year if somebody tells us we’re going to beat La Salle, Ateneo and UP, for the first time in eight years… everybody from FEU we’ll go yeah, we’ll, sign up for that. We just have to find a way to beat UST,” he added.
Ever since taking the coaching reins in Season 87, Chambers has secured only a single victory against the Growling Tigers across five elimination-round encounters.
Overcoming this stylistic mismatch remains a primary objective for the coaching staff as the tournament heads into the second round while keeping their Final Four aspirations alive.
Chambers also pointed out how fluidity in personnel management impacted their execution against UST.
“We know we could’ve played better but again, I think, anybody thought our rotation was completely different, so you can’t get used to a rotation, the guys get used to substitution pattering and when the guy is out no matter what it is it affects them,” Chambers continued.
Individual struggles compounded the team’s troubles, notably with Kirby Mongcopa getting shut out in the second half after pacing the offense with 12 points prior to intermission.
Looking to close out the opening round on a high note, FEU prepares to face co-leader National University (4-2) at the Blue Eagle Gym.