Far Eastern University head coach Sean Chambers (left) and University of the Philippines and former FEU Tamaraw Veejay Pre (right) in UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball. UAAP Media.MANILA — Far Eastern University put the emotions aside and took down University of the Philippines in a matchup layered with storylines spanning past and present.
The Tamaraws snapped a seven-year drought against the Fighting Maroons while also giving Sean Chambers his first win over UP since taking over as head coach in 2024.
The biggest storyline, however, was FEU’s first meeting with former Tamaraw Veejay Pre. But rather than dwell on his departure, Chambers said the transfer has become a lesson for the Tamaraws and a reminder of the importance of keeping their homegrown players.
“The elephant in the room is losing Veejay, but ever since, we were able to keep [our players] at home,” said Chambers after their 90-79 win over UP, which gave FEU its third victory in four games and an early share of the lead in UAAP Season 89.
Chambers has been vocal about how difficult it was to see Pre take his talents to Diliman, but the move also put a spotlight on FEU’s renewed priority of keeping its homegrown players in Morayta.
“Pain makes you better, so we made sure that these guys all stayed home,” said Chambers, whose program has successfully moved former Baby Tamaraws Cabs Cabonilas, Kirby Mongcopa, Marc Burgos, and others into its senior squad.
That homegrown core has helped the Tams post not only their best start under Chambers, but also their best since FEU’s championship run in 2015.
Still, Chambers knows there is more to learn than from FEU’s own experiences alone.
He has turned to his former Alaska Milk mentor Tim Cone for perspective, particularly on how quickly a promising start can change.
“This is good, but this is not where we want to be at the end,” said Chambers, recalling a conversation with Cone.
Chambers also cited University of the East — which was poised to enter the Final Four with a 6-3 record in Season 87 in 2024 before its campaign fell apart — saying that the Red Warriors are a reminder that a strong start means little if not maintained.
“We’re gonna learn from people in the past,” he said. “It’s still so early. If we had lost these last two games, we’ll still say the same, it’s still early.”
FEU is still searching for its first Final Four appearance since Season 84 in early 2022, and Chambers knows the heartbreaks of the past should serve as lessons rather than something that holds his team back.
“At the end of the day, we’re gonna enjoy it, but we gotta move on right away,” he said. “So you have to continue to win to get into the Final Four.”
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