First-year head coach Sean Chambers believes his FEU Tamaraws could’ve made the UAAP Final Four in Season 87.
First-time head coach Sean Chambers believed that his FEU Tamaraws finished among the four best teams in the UAAP, even as they missed the bus to the Final Four in Season 87.
That is, after going through a rough patch in the first half of the season where they managed only one win in round 1, the Tamaraws found their bearings to close the season.
Though falling short of the first goal of finishing in the upper half of the standings, Chambers said that they were able to give headaches for the rest of the league — and once they caught up to the rest of the field, they were able to go toe-to-toe.
“We’re talking to the guys about growth everyday in practice and I don’t know if we’ve seen anything like this with FEU but to come where we started off in the first round… The way that we continued to battle and fight and get better, honestly, at the end of this second round, I honestly felt we’re one of the best four teams in the league,” said Chambers.
“We just unfortunately were not prepared as we could’ve been in the first round. So we were basically scrambling for that this [second] half. But right now, I mean, we’re executing, we’re running great offense, we’re defending, [and] we’re playing tough,” he added.
True enough, in their final game against the Fighting Maroons, the Tamaraws gave UP a run for its money and threatened for the win until late in the fourth quarter.
But veteran guard JD Cagulangan converted on clutch shots late for the Diliman-based team that ultimately stymied FEU.
[RELATED: UAAP: UP Fighting Maroons get back on track, eliminate FEU Tamaraws from Final Four race]
The loss officially eliminated the Tamaraws from the Final Four race.
Regardless of the result, though, Chambers said that the Tamaraws can finish the season with their head held high.
After going through multiple learning curves, there is no where to go but upwards for them.
“If JD didn’t make that shot, we would’ve won that game. And that was a tough shot by a big time gamer, but kudos to him that’s why he’s won a championship with them before. But I think everybody that’s associated with FEU, the president was in our locker room… They said that they cannot be more proud of where we’re at right now,” said the decorated PBA import.
“We don’t want to look forward too much to next year, but we know, the work starts now. We’re not gonna be settling with this and now for me, personally, no excuses, because we should be prepared for the season. But for me, now I have a year of putting everybody on my list so, as I said against La Salle, everybody’s gonna have a problem with us and every second round game, we gave everybody fits. So we’re there,” he added.
Chambers and the Tamaraws finished the season at 6th place with a 5-9 slate, but the team went 4-3 in round 2.
Though left wanting more as the the Final Four comes with them on the outside looking in, Chambers will have many to look forward to next year.
The first-year coach is expected to have his core intact for next season, with only Royce Alforque graduating from the whole roster.