FEU Tamaraws Season 80 team preview – Outside looking in

JR Isaga

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FEU Tamaraws Season 80 team preview – Outside looking in

Josh Albelda/Rappler

For the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, their red-hot charge through the UAAP may just be coming to a slow halt.

Basketball teams work very much like physics. Objects in movement must stop at some point when they lose energy just like how objects at rest have the potential to get somewhere when acted upon by the right force.

For the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, their red-hot charge through the UAAP may just be coming to a slow halt.

Led by PBA’s 2016 3rd overall pick Mac Belo, the Season 78 Tamaraws treated fans to a highly entertaining do-or-die finals showdown with the Kevin Ferrer-led University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers. Although the Tigers were the sentimental pick to finally win one title with their graduating core of Ferrer, PBA’s 6th pick Ed Daquioag and Karim Abdul, Belo and his future PBA lottery-pick mates Russel Escoto, Mike Tolomia and RR Pogoy had other plans for a graceful exit of their own. 

Fast forward to Season 80, FEU is on the brink of losing more steam. Although they only lost to eventual finalist Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles in the Season 79 semifinals by one point, things are bound to get worse. Their regular season record is on a downward trend and so are their talents and other personnel.

The Tamaraws are still a credible threat in the UAAP, but that reputation may soon be lost in the shuffle as well. 

Newton’s Third Law of Motion 

“For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.”

For FEU, every departure is another blow their campaign to maintain dominance in the league. Over two seasons, they have experienced the losses of Belo, Escoto, Tolomia, Pogoy and Season 79 leading team scorers Raymar Jose and Monbert Arong. 

They will, however, still have serviceable players left like Wendell Comboy, Axel Inigo and former Eagles-turned-Tamaraws Arvin Tolentino and Hubert Cani along with prospects such as CESAFI’s Jasper Parker – keyword being “prospects.” Despite these handy additions and returnees, it’s still not the same, to put things plainly.

The Racela Effect 

FEU will still be led by a Racela, just not the Racela the UAAP has been used to. After leading the Tamaraws to a stellar 40-16 record over 4 seasons that nabbed them one championship, Coach Nash Racela has taken his talents to the PBA as the head coach of powerhouse TNT KaTropa. He is set to be replaced by his older brother, 9-time PBA champion Olsen Racela.

While Olsen has carved out a legendary career as a player, he will need to hit the hard reset as his FEU coaching stint will just be his rookie debut. Although he already has experience on the sidelines as an assistant coach for the PBA’s Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, FEU will be his first-ever head honcho gig.

From its coach to its players, FEU is entering Season 80 full of high hopes and unproven personnel. On paper, they are still a Final Four-level squad, but anyone who has ever followed basketball knows that things change once the ball is tossed and the games are played. With dark horse teams such as Adamson and the University of the Philippines on the come up, FEU should learn to watch their backs before charging again. – Rappler.com

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