Pumaren feels like he hit jackpot with Adamson’s one-and-done recruit Val Chauca

MANILA, Philippines—Adamson did not impress in its first game in the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament, but under the dismal result emerged a gem in one-and-done Val Chauca.

Soaring Falcons head coach Franz Pumaren raved about his new recruit, who will be playing just one year in the UAAP.

Chauca, who is taking up Master of Business Administration in Adamson’s Graduate School, put up 17 point and four rebounds in his UAAP debut.

“I feel he’s a one-and-done player that you can really invest at, he can help the young guys, nurture the young guys, and mentor them,” said Pumaren after the 70-52 loss to defending champion Ateneo

Chauca’s not only a versatile player on the floor as he’s also one learned athlete before coming to the Falcons.

He graduated from University of California in Berkeley’s, considered as one of the top schools in the States, Legal Studies program and earned a certificate degree in Marketing Management from Enderun Colleges.

This type of scholastic achievement, on top of his athletic dedication, made Chauca a valuable asset for Pumaren.

“This should just be his fifth day coming from the States and there was no trace of jetlag so I’m expecting more from him in leading this team,” said Pumaren, who added that Chauca nearly enrolled at other schools in the UAAP.

“Actually there were a lot of schools interested in him, he mentioned that to me, but he fell on my lap and one thing he told me is he wants to follow my style [when I was still playing] and I think we hit the jackpot,” added Pumaren.

Chauca, who played guard with the UC Golden Bears, not only impressed his head coach but also the Blue Eagles’ mentor Tab Baldwin.

Ateneo’s tactician already saw Chauca in the PBA D-League and he remembered the spitfire shooter torching them for 27 points.

“I guess we saw him in the D-League and he lit us up there,” said Baldwin. “He’s just a good player, he’s shifty, and he’s not easy to get a handle on. When you’ve got Mamu [Gian Mamuyac] and Thirdy [Ravena] out there defensively and they’re still having a bad time, you know that says a lot about the kid.”