For Far Eastern University head coach Sean Chambers, there is still plenty of respect and admiration between the Tamaraws and Veejay Pre.
In what turned out to be a statement 74-57 win over University of the East, FEU quickly showed that it’s business as usual — even without their reigning Rookie of the Year.
Following their opening victory at the Playtime Cares 18th Filoil Preseason Cup, Chambers immediately addressed the elephant in the room.
According to the second-year tactician, Pre texted him shortly after his departure from the team.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Chambers recalled the 19-year-old’s message: “I love you,” a simple yet powerful affirmation of the bond still shared between the now-former Tamaraw and his former squad — something that meant a great deal to the FEU mentor.
“It’s a very unique situation, we love him.
“He’s a kid, and as adults, we need to stop talking about it and let him go about his way. Because it’s a lot of adults making the decisions and he’s caught in the middle,” Chambers shared.
Despite the impact on the team, Chambers firmly believes that Pre’s decision was made with his family’s best interest in mind.
He also emphasized that the team must now focus on moving forward for the sake of their growth and development.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen a situation where a kid loves his university, loves his teammates, loves his coaching staff, but he has to make a decision for the best of his family,” he added.
Chambers stressed that now is not the time for finger-pointing, instead expressing his continued admiration for the Montinola family and FEU for always doing things “the right way.”
Still, the FEU head coach admitted he remains stunned by the situation, calling it unprecedented in the UAAP to see a player with “this much love for his team” walk away under such circumstances.
Nevertheless, Chambers said he reminded his players that Pre will always be their brother and that they wish him nothing but success as he continues his career journey.
