Time and time again, Far Eastern University has proven its capabilities as a stellar institution, molding and preparing homegrown talents for the biggest stages of their amateur careers.
From Diliman to Morayta, the Tamaraws have developed players like Barangay Ginebra guard RJ Abarrientos, Quezon guard L-Jay Gonzales, and the next generation of Tamaraws in Jorick Bautista, Janrey Pasaol, Veejay Pre, and Jedric Daa.
However, the steady play and leadership of Royce Alforque often get overlooked amid the spotlight on the talent the Tamaraws have consistently showcased over the past five years.
Alforque, FEU’s homegrown senior, spent all five years of his collegiate career with the Tamaraws.
And he feels proud to see that his loyalty, dedication, and hard work have finally paid off for a program that never gave up on him during his darkest times.
“Naalala ko nung before ako pumunta ng FEU, sinabi nila coach sa akin na yung program ng FEU na tinutulungan nila mag-develop yung player from Diliman to Morayta. Nangyari naman,” the Cebuano playmaker shared.
“Marami naman nakagawa ‘non, sila L-Jay, si RJ, mga talagang galing sa Diliman, mga teammates ko. Hindi siya madaling process talaga kasi alam ko na may mas magaling sa akin nung umakyat ako sa seniors,” he went on.
“I almost quit talaga, hindi niyo lang alam. I almost quit basketball noong pandemic and linaban ko lang talaga. Nag-pray ako and ito yung dinasal ko talaga na sana matapos ko yung season na wala mangyari sa akin na masama kasi nainjure ako last season. Very thankful talaga [ako] kay God.”
While his seven-year tenure with FEU ended with a 78-86 loss to the University of the Philippines – along with back-to-back seventh-place finishes in Seasons 85 and 86 – Alforque is proud to have left a winning culture and identity with the Tamaraws.
In the high school ranks, Alforque’s brilliance helped FEU-Diliman emerge as runners-up in Season 80 and place fourth in Season 81. He was also part of two Final Four runs in the seniors ranks from Seasons 82 and 84.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Sinabi ko na ‘yon before nung season na ito na sana mabalik namin yung winning culture ng FEU. Kasi kami yung pinaka-maraming championships ‘eh, gusto namin dagdagan ‘yon,” the 5-foot-11 point guard admitted.
Nandito naman si Coach Sean ‘eh, for sure na gagawin nila ‘yon. Wala naman imposible ‘eh, kaya naman talaga. Nakita naman sa second round namin na games. Malaki naging improvement nila, pero kailangan pa talaga magtrabaho,” Alforque pointed out.
“Sa overall season, masaya ako sa results kahit hindi namin nakuha yung gusto namin makamit. Nakita namin yung improvement ng team since last season. Future is bright sa team na ito, sa mga bata na ito.”
For head coach Sean Chambers, the Tamaraws’ quick turnaround from a poor first-round start to a strong second-round finish was not possible without Alforque’s continued leadership both on and off the court.
After ending the first round with a 1-6 slate, FEU quickly turned its season around by winning four of its seven second-round matches, giving Chambers a 5-9 record in his first year as the Tamaraws’ head coach.
“By having a guy like that in practice every day makes Janrey better, makes Jedric better, and the other guys better. I think the biggest thing is the friendship and familyhood that we have with one another because everyone lives together. He’s such a good kuya and a great big brother to everybody,” the Gilas Pilipinas Men assistant coach revealed.
“While we caused problems throughout the second round, unfortunately, [Royce] didn’t get a chance to get there with them, but he’s been a terrific leader, leader by example, being a true FEU man. And our noise in the second round would have not been possible without him.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the departure of the Tamaraws’ lone senior, Chambers remained confident that FEU’s future would shine bright, especially with how Alforque pushed the team’s rookies to their full potential to close the season.
The Tamaraws’ core of Bautista, Pre, Daa, and Gambian center Mo Konateh will look to make noise in Season 88.
Still, Chambers also wants to see the continued emergence of key holdovers such as Rojan Montemayor, Jayden Jones, and Adam Nakai.
“Hopefully we stay healthy next year, and we get better, bigger, stronger. Yeah, and, you know, bigger. But, you know, you just imagine with the nine rookies, Veejay, Janrey, Me, Jedric, Adam, those guys are all going to be so much better next year. And I expect more from Jayden Jones and Rojan Montemayor next year,” Chambers concluded.
