By: Joaquin Cortez
For Janrey Pasaol, facing the University of the Philippines has always carried extra motivation, especially with former teammate Veejay Pre now suiting up for the Fighting Maroons.
That added motivation was on full display on Saturday, as Pasaol and Far Eastern University completed a season sweep of UP with a 71-68 victory in the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament at the SMART Araneta Coliseum, moving closer to a Final Four berth.
Pasaol, who previously shared the court with Pre at FEU, recalled how the Tamaraws have always been eager to compete against the Fighting Maroons, whom he considered the league’s most dominant team when he began his collegiate career.
“No’ng nagsimula ako dito sa UP, sila talaga ang most dominant team,” said the reigning MVP.
“’Yung eagerness naming manalo every time na magkalaban sila and nandoon na si Veejay, parang nadagdagan ’yung gigil namin na ipakita sa kanila at tsaka kay Veejay na kaya naming mag-compete sa inyo.”
The two were longtime teammates at FEU-Diliman, where they helped the Baby Tamaraws capture the UAAP Season 85 High School Boys’ Basketball championship.
They reunited in FEU’s senior men’s squad in Season 87, which marked head coach Sean Chambers’ first season with the team. Pre went on to earn Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds before transferring to UP in May 2025.
On Saturday, Pasaol led the Tamaraws with a team-high 16 points, three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Meanwhile, Pre struggled offensively, finishing with nine points and six rebounds on 3-of-17 shooting from the field.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Despite their history as teammates, Pasaol appeared more than content with staying in Morayta, cheekily reminding Pre that the grass remains greener on the Tamaraws’ side.
“Masaya dito sa amin.”
With two games remaining in the elimination round, Chambers stressed that beating teams that reached last season’s Final Four would be crucial to FEU’s postseason aspirations.
“If we belong in the Final Four, we have to beat the teams that were there last year. Today was really an important game,” Chambers said.
The Tamaraws improved to 7-5 in the standings, snapping UP’s seven-game winning streak while completing a season sweep of the Fighting Maroons.
For Pasaol, Saturday’s victory also reflected the intensity the Tamaraws have brought to their daily preparations, with their postseason fate now firmly in their own hands.
“Lagi ’yan sinasabi ni coach sa amin na kontrolado namin ’yung destiny namin. So mahirap na ’yung ‘di katulad ng last year, sa ibang team kami nakadepende. Ngayon, nasa amin na talaga. Kailangan lang talaga naming i-game-by-game,” he said.
“’Yung pinakita namin against UP, gano’n ka-intense ang practice na ginagawa namin. So ’yun, trabaho lang nang trabaho.”
