MANILA, Philippines – The FEU Tamaraws, once the lowest-ranked team in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, are suddenly on a meteoric rise after gutting out three wins in four games so far in the second round of the eliminations — the latest being a 59-51 conquest of third-ranked UE.
Serving as the undisputed top catalyst of the vaunted program’s much-needed turnaround is fast-rising star forward Veejay Pre, who followed up a 31-point, 14-rebound explosion in a 79-70 loss to fourth-place UST with a resounding 20-point, 8-board effort against the Red Warriors on Sunday, November 3.
Averaging a stunning 26.5 points in his last two outings, the 19-year-old Pre did enough damage to earn glowing reports from FEU head coach Sean Chambers, who pushed for the former Gilas Pilipinas Boys standout to be considered for a seniors team spot sooner rather than later.
“Honestly, you still have not seen the best of Veejay,” said the legendary former PBA import. “Veejay is tremendous. I won’t talk about it after the season, but hopefully one day he’s representing the country. I think Veejay is that talented, and he’s still getting comfortable.”
Playing with patience and post-play acumen clearly beyond his years, Pre was yet again a consistent force against UE, methodically sinking his open looks and putback layups to repeatedly stifle the Red Warriors’ comeback efforts from buzzer to buzzer.
After the game, the burly 6-foot-5 youngster admitted that the game has indeed slowed down for him in the UAAP seniors’ level, which can only spell doom for those tasked to slow him down in FEU’s three remaining games in the elimination round.
“Regarding my performance, I just kept firing away, but really, my main goal is to just help the team win every game and prove to people that we’re a very capable group,” Pre said in Filipino.
“I just used our losses as motivation and coach Sean telling me he believes in me. I just realized that I have to keep going.”
Next Kevin Quiambao?
Interestingly enough, the white-hot Pre is barreling straight to a high-profile rematch on Wednesday, November 6, with reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao, whom he called his idol and inspiration amid his eye-catching rookie season.
With FEU no longer in full control of its Final Four hopes and top-ranked La Salle safely clutching a twice-to-beat semifinals advantage, it’s up to Pre to once again set the winning tone for the Tamaraws — a challenge he fully accepts.
“All I can say is we will fight and we will not roll over to lose,” Pre continued. “I’m facing KQ again and I’m going to learn a lot again. I’ll just enjoy and try not to lose.”
On the topic of Quiambao, Chambers added that while Pre is still rough around the edges, the potential for his star ward to mirror the MVP’s career rise is far from an unlikely scenario down the line.
“I think so, absolutely, and I think he’s the future of the UAAP and the future of Philippine basketball, as well as other guys,” he continued.
“But he’s definitely that talented because he can shoot the three ball, although 0-for-3 today, but that’s okay,” Chambers joked.
“He can do so much more. He’s just getting there.” – Rappler.com