Humblebola

By: Atty. Toby Pavon

Previously the UAAP had gotten used to FEU Tamaraws teams with elite guards in their lineups— LJay Gonzales and RJ Abarrientos, Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia, RR Pogoy and Mike Tolomia… the list goes on.

It’s almost like having a duo of elite guards in their roster is a tradition for FEU. Guards who are unafraid to shoot, making their mark despite the tightest of defense, lighting up the scoreboard better than anyone in the league. This season is no exemption. On opening day of Season 88 of the UAAP, we were witness to the introduction of yet another FEU elite guard duo that will wreak havoc in the league for seasons to come.

FEU may not have gotten the win, but they made it a very entertaining game. Janrey Pasaol and Jorick Bautista lit up the scoreboard with 24 points each, including a game tying 3 to send the game to overtime.

Coming into the season, Jorick was already a known quantity for FEU. He’d already displayed his scoring brilliance in Season 87, lighting up the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the clutch to give FEU their first win that season. It was almost a repeat performance for Jorick on the opening day game, except Jared Bahay and Kymani Ladi had other plans.

The FEU coaching staff can build off this performance, especially with the emergence of Janrey Pasaol as not only a potent scorer, but a playmaker as well.

Janrey’s performance was confirmation of what people who have been watching him since his days as a Baby Tamaraw already knew, he gets buckets, he helps teammates get buckets. In the 2nd half, FEU was able to build a lead running the offense through Janrey who attacked Ateneo’s defense from the wing. Each time he was able to beat his defender off the dribble, Ateneo’s defense collapsed leading to Janrey spotting the open man in the perimeter for the easiest triples of the game.

More than a drive-and-kick guard, Janrey showed in the fourth quarter how he’s able to set his teammates up for easy layups underneath the basket as well. His efforts earned him a double-double with 11 assists to go with his 24 points.

With both guards taking turns running the offense, FEU will give opposing backcourts all they can handle, since they attack the defense in very different ways. Jorick being able to score with the defense draped all over him adds a new dimension to FEU’s offense, especially in the clutch where he is able to create buckets out of thin air. Janrey on the other hand will be the engine driving a more sustainable offense for FEU, running the offense within their pre-planned system, creating the offensive advantage necessary to get teammates open. He’s not only athletic, but his basketball IQ has him making passes to players that didn’t even know they were open.

Jorick Bautsita might be on the twilight of his collegiate career, while Janrey Pasaol still has more than a couple of playing years left, but for at least 13 more games, this duo will be torching UAAP back courts, giving the FEU hopeful a real reason to be brave.