FEU has paid its dues

After falling out of the Final Four in the UAAP senior men’s basketball championships last season, FEU is back with a bang and Tamaraws owner Anton Montinola said the other day it’s all about paying their dues.

The first round of the UAAP tournament ended last Sunday with FEU the only unbeaten team at 7-0. The Tams, now coached by Nash Racela with Josh Reyes as chief assistant, were seriously threatened by Ateneo, La Salle, NU and UST but never failed to show poise down the stretch. They’re a team on a mission of redemption and it’s reflected in how they refuse to give up no matter how large their deficit as was the case when FEU recovered from 13 points down with 2:36 left to beat the Archers in overtime, 83-79, last July 13.

Before the season began, Montinola went to war against UAAP teams that raid the high school ranks of opposing institutions. It was triggered by FEU ‘s refusal to release prep star Jerie Pingoy to Ateneo and Montinola instigated a new mandatory two-year residence on high school players switching to other UAAP institutions after graduation. Although the rule smacked of a violation of a human right, the UAAP Board approved it. Sen. Pia Cayetano has threatened to go to court to question the constitutional legality of the rule but to this day, it remains in force. The rule covers all sports, not just basketball, and limits the choice of high school athletic graduates in pursuing courses with other institutions. Theoretically, an athlete ends his commitment and playing eligibility to his high school after graduation – there should be no further obligation upon the termination of his scholarship. But the new rule extends an institution’s hold on a graduate beyond high school, a barnacle that appears to be unprecedented in any varsity league in the world.

There was also a case involving FEU’s Anthony Hargrove and a Team B player Adam Mohammed who were jailed for three days on a charge of drug possession last March. They were later cleared after testing negative for marijuana. Despite the clearance, the damage to FEU’s image was done.

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FEU carried all that baggage into the new UAAP season and was determined to bury the negativity as a thing of the past. One by one, FEU disposed of every road block in its way. UE went down by 11 and defending champion Ateneo lost by four. The Tams crushed UP by 18, escaped La Salle by four in extension, tripped NU by four, swamped UST by 10 and edged Adamson by three. What’s remarkable is how FEU got the job done on both ends. At the end of the first round, the Tams were No. 1 in offense averaging 80.6 points and No. 1 in field goal percentage allowed at .349. FEU was also No. 1 in perimeter points, free throw percentage at .770, assists at 16.3 a game, blocked shots at 5.6, bench scoring at 29.4, least turnovers at 12.3, fastbreak points at 11.6 and turnover points at 16.1. On the flip side, the Tams were stingiest in giving up fastbreak points at 4.6 and turnover points at 7.4.

Guard Terrence Romeo has sparked FEU’s breakaway and is the only UAAP cager averaging at least 20 a game at 22.6. Second place in the ladder was UE’s Roi Sumang with a 19.0 clip. Romeo was tied in most three-point field goal conversions with La Salle’s Almond Vosotros at 2.9, No. 1 in free throw percentage at .903, the only player hitting at least .900 in the league and No. 1 in steals at 1.4 an outing.

For sure, Racela won’t put his guard down in the second round which begins after the FIBA-Asia Championships end. Could the Tams be peaking too soon? It’s doubtful because so far, Romeo has been almost the exclusive star of the show, meaning Racela still expects more from his other mainstays like R. R. Garcia (averaging 14.3 points, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals), Mike Tolomia (4.0 assists and 1.3 triples a game) and Hargrove (hitting .481 from the floor) as the season progresses.

Tied for second in the ladder are UST, NU and UE at 4-3 each. The Growling Tigers beat La Salle by five in overtime, Adamson by five, UE by seven and UP by 10 but lost to NU by four, FEU by 10 and Ateneo by four. Once Jeric Teng – now undergoing therapy for a slight shoulder tear – is cleared to play by doctors, coach Pido Jarencio will return a full complement to make another run at the crown. Karim Abdul, Clark Bautista, Kevin Ferrer, Aljon Mariano and Ed Daquiaog are Jarencio’s other reliables.

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With Bobby Ray Parks rumored to be thinking of turning pro in November, NU is more determined than ever to capture the crown and coach Eric Altamirano has the pieces to do it. The Bulldogs are tops in least points allowed at 66.1 and No. 1 in second chance points at 12.4. Parks is enjoying another stellar campaign, averaging 18.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals. He’s supported by Emmanuel Mbe (No. 2 in rebounds), Joshua Alolino (No. 1 in assists), Kyle Neypes, Joeffrey Javillonar and Jeth Rosario. The Bulldogs lost two of their last three but closed out the first round with a rousing 63-56 win over La Salle. NU’s three losses to UE, FEU and Adamson could’ve gone either way so Altamirano has basis to be optimistic in turning the corner in the second round.

UE is led by the mammoth Charles Mammie, the league’s Big Daddy who’s No. 1 in rebounds with a whopping 17.8 average. Coach Boysie Zamar has the perfect inside-outside combination in Mammie and Sumang. At the end of the first round, the Warriors led the league in rebounding and in most opponents’ turnovers at 16.3 a game. Because of Mammie’s towering presence, Sumang has no hesitation to take the outside shot and is shooting .385 from three-point range. Next to Parks, Sumang is the most fouled player, making 5.4 free throws a game.

Ateneo, Adamson and La Salle are tied at fourth with identical 3-4 marks. UP is bringing up the rear with a 0-7 slate. The teams that are able to learn from the lessons in the first round and make adjustments will be in title contention when the Final Four reckoning comes. At the moment, only FEU looks like a shoo-in for the playoffs. Six teams are neck-to-neck in the race for three other Final Four tickets and none is a sure bet.

Thanks to UAAP statistics chief Pong Ducanes and Smart Bro for the first round figures.