The UAAP is a league that often tests patience. Fourteen games can be a lot of games, but depending on who you play against, the stakes could be higher. Storied programs often view losses with a microscope and the added spotlight raises the pressure within the team. 

The FEU Tamaraws are a proud basketball program, having won the most UAAP championships (20, thanks in part to some boardroom maneuvers) and boasting of alumni who have forged solid professional careers here and abroad. However, the Tamaraws’ last Final Four appearance was five years ago, and the UAAP Season 78 championship feels like a distant memory. 

As this season’s hosts, there was added pressure for FEU, largely because they didn’t want to embarrass themselves in front of their guests, and the jitters may have factored into the Tamaraws’ opening game defeat to the Adamson Soaring Falcons. 

Since then, though, FEU has been on quite a remarkable run. 

This was arguably the most mature basketball the Tamaraws have played so far in UAAP Season 89. The DLSU Green Archers made multiple attempts to mount a rally, but FEU always found a way to respond and erase any chances. The Tamaraws were patient in their approach, settling into mismatches and finding the shots. Moreover, FEU took advantage of the Green Archers’ poor rebounding this season, turning second chances into back breaking points. 

Now, the Tamaraws are on a two-game winning streak and much of that is due to the program Sean Chambers has installed in the last two seasons. There was a time when many wondered what Chambers would bring to the table for FEU. Chambers had previously coached in the United States and then served as an assistant to Chot Reyes with the TNT Tropang 5G. 

But Chambers has brought on a more deliberate approach and he has connected well enough with the players that they have bought into his system and reaped the benefits. They emphasize spacing and passing, some tenets of the triangle offense that Chambers played with in Alaska, but also because it helps the Tamaraws even the playing field. 

Many of the FEU players are also more mature, having grown through the marquee wins and the heartbreaking losses. Even the loss of Veejay Pre has not bothered the Tamaraws, as they’ve been able to grow and for a program like FEU, the pipeline is never dry. Cabs Cabonillas is also showing out in Year One and he hasn’t been afraid to seize the moment. 

Overall, patience has paid off for the FEU Tamaraws, who seem to be returning to their winning ways. Other teams would have pulled the plug without giving the coaching staff time to entrench their system. Thanks to the FEU management’s patience, they are reaping the benefits of letting the Tamaraws find their way and if things continue to play out like this, then we could see a host school lifting the most coveted trophy in the UAAP.