UAAP: FEU coach believes Pasaol ready to meet high expectations

FEU Tamaraws coach Sean Chambers.–UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers is aware that the spotlight will undoubtedly be on Janrey Pasaol whenever the Tamaraws play in the upcoming UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.

As the reigning league MVP, Pasaol will be carrying the weight of FEU’s title hopes, but Chambers is confident that his star guard is up for the challenge.

READ: UAAP SCHEDULE: Season 89 basketball tournament – first round

“For Jan, I’m reminding him, and he’s taking it very well, that the expectations that we can put on ourselves should always be more than what anybody tries to put on us,” Chambers told the Inquirer.

“Whatever anybody else thinks outside our circle can never match what we’re going to put on ourselves.”

FEU barely missed the Season 88 Final Four with a 7-7 record, just one win behind fourth-seed and eventual champion La Salle, which held an 8-6 slate.

The 23-year-old Pasaol averaged 15.4 points, 7.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game to edge UST’s Nic Cabañero, La Salle’s Mike Phillips and National U’s Jake Figueroa for the MVP plum.

READ: For UAAP Season 89 opening treat, FEU turns its eyes to Super Bowl

As far as Chambers is concerned, Pasaol is entering a season where he can etch his own legacy, not just for FEU but the UAAP.

“We’re talking about legacy when we talk about Jan,” the Gilas Pilipinas assistant said. “One of the things my high school coaches taught me was, ‘What kind of legacy will you leave behind?’ I live with that motto.”

“The expectations we’re putting on Jan, or Jan puts on himself, can never match what people can say. It should always be higher.”

Pasaol and the host Tamaraws open their campaign against Adamson on Sunday, 12 pm, at Araneta Coliseum.