UAAP: FEU coach Chambers sets short-term goals for young team

FEU Tamaraws coach Sean Chambers during the UAAP Seaosn 87 press conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — As he realizes his dream in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers is laying his short-term goal in his debut year before moving to his long-term mission of bringing back the title contender status of the Tamaraws. 

Chambers debuts as the FEU coach against Adamson on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum at 3 p.m., looking forward to competing against the top collegiate teams from just watching the league’s games when he was still playing in the PBA as Alaska’s import in the 90s.

“Dreams come true, like when I was here as a player, and I’ve seen probably more UAAP games than I watched PBA games as a player, especially with one of my favorite all-time mentors and coach Aric [Del Rosario] and then watching Johnny A, Johnny winning all those championships. And then even watching back in day Adamson, when Marlou [Aquino], those guys were doing everything. So I was a big fan of the UAAP when I was here as a player,” said Chambers of his Alaska teammate Johnny Abarrientos, who also handles the FEU basketball program. 

READ: UAAP: Sean Chambers brings Alaska mentality to FEU Tamaraws

Coaching in the UAAP is a dream come true for FEU coach Sean Chambers. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/oyYoTPqyHG

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) September 7, 2024

“I’ve always envisioned myself eventually coming back as a coach.”

The six-time PBA champion watched FEU’s close games last year that ended in heartbreaking losses as the Tamaraws finished with a 3-11 record in L-Jay Gonzales’ final year under coach Denok Miranda.

Chambers is looking to change that as he ushers in a new era led by newcomers Janrey Pasaol, Veejay Pre, Jedric Daa, Adam Nakai, Mo Konateh, and Jayden Jones with holdovers Jorick Bautista, Royce Alforque, and Cholo Anonuevo.

“They could have won either way. So we have to be able to try to try to win some games convincingly, first and foremost,” said Chambers. “We need to try to get to .500 as my goal, to get to .500 and then after that, we’ll just see where everything goes from there.”

Chambers hopes this season will lead to his long-term goal of bringing back FEU on top.

READ: Coach Sean Chambers aims to ‘reignite winning culture’ at FEU

“We got to remember like our stars are young men. They’re good, but they’re young. And I don’t think it’s going to be a simple adjustable plug-in there to start playing right away. They’re all coming from high school. So we’re going to be playing seven freshmen. Next year, after going through the wars and the battles, I expect us to be considered one of the top two teams in the league,” he said.

The 59-year-old American is instilling his version of the triangle offense, which he learned during his time under coach Tim Cone, whom he had a chance to work with in Gilas Pilipinas recently.

“It was a chance to be coaching side by side with my mentor and seeing what it takes to be successful at the international level. He reminded me of some of the detailed things we worked on as a team that I was able to bring back to FEU, and just now also my mindset shifted a little bit after being on the international stage,” Chambers said. “Being part of the Gilas now is like, how do we get our college-level guys to continue to grow their game? That kind of shifted my mindset by seeing it on the international level, how we can move forward at the national stage.”