Tams for real
Far Eastern University has gone from trying to prove it belongs at the top of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament to having a shot at staying there.
And the Tamaraws’ next major test comes against a team already occupying that neighborhood.
FEU barged into a share of the lead after stunning University of the Philippines, 90-79, on Sunday at Philsports Arena, improving to 3-1 and pulling level with Ateneo in an early shake-up of the standings.
The Tamaraws have won three straight after opening their campaign with a loss, taking down defending champion La Salle and then UP in consecutive games.
La Salle first
Now comes Ateneo.
FEU and the Blue Eagles meet Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum, giving the Tamaraws a chance to turn what has been a surprising start into something more substantial.
Ateneo, however, still has a Wednesday assignment against La Salle before facing FEU.
The Blue Eagles have built their own 3-1 start around a guard-heavy attack under coach Louie Alas, with Jared Bahay taking a central role and highly touted rookie Kieffer Alas quickly emerging as another late-game option.
Kieffer showed as much in Ateneo’s most recent victory, shaking off a slow start and delivering when the Blue Eagles needed him most in an 87-76 comeback win over National University. Ateneo erased a 17-point deficit, with the rookie finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
That sets up an intriguing challenge for an FEU side whose climb has been fueled by growing confidence and a roster that has produced contributions from several directions.
“We knew we’d see some tremendous improvement like this because guys are basically trusting one another better now,” FEU coach Sean Chambers said after the victory over UP.
“We talk about this in practice a lot. We have full command of what we want to do. We can only continue to be better at it.”
Kirby Mongcopa led that latest statement win with 24 points, nine rebounds and three assists as FEU beat UP for the first time since 2019 and snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Fighting Maroons.
Jorick Bautista added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Janrey Pasaol scored 15. Mo Konateh finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Added meaning
For Bautista, the Tamaraws’ surge has also become an answer to the growing buzz around the team.
“A lot of people on social media are saying that we here in FEU are strong, so I talked to them when we trained,” Bautista said. “We started talking about it in practice.”
FEU backed up that talk against UP.
After watching a 26-13 first-quarter lead shrink to 43-41 at halftime, the Tamaraws responded with a 32-point third quarter and took a 75-55 cushion into the fourth.
The victory gave FEU its best start since Season 78, when it also opened at 3-1.
For Bautista, the run carries added meaning in his final playing year after five seasons of experiencing both ends of the UAAP standings.
“We just keep on grinding,” he said. “It feels good personally for me. I went through a lot here in the UAAP for five years, not just the highs but also the lows.”
Those lows make FEU’s current position all the more striking.
The Tamaraws entered the season without the same billing attached to several traditional contenders. Four games in, they are sitting alongside Ateneo at the top—and coming off consecutive victories over the defending champion and a UP program they had not beaten in seven years.
Saturday offers them an opportunity to find out just how real that rise is.
