THERE’S no dispute in Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers’ mind that Veejay Pre should be the runaway winner for Rookie of the Year.
“Siyempre talaga,” he said affirmatively. “Honestly, you still have not seen the best of Veejay. Like, Veejay is tremendous.”
The 19-year-old has made an indelible mark for the Tamaraws this UAAP Season 87, being the unsung leader for the young crew with averages of 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds.
Chambers has such lofty expectations for Pre that the former dared branding the latter as “the future” – not just for FEU or the UAAP, but for the national team as well, believing that the 6-foot-5 forward can reach the heights achieved by one Kevin Quiambao.
“Absolutely. I think he's the future of the UAAP and the future of Philippine basketball, as well as other guys. But he's definitely that talented because he can shoot the three-ball and he can put the ball on the ground,” the former multi-time champion import said.
“Hopefully, one day, he's representing the country. I think Veejay is that talented. And he's still getting comfortable.”
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Pre flashed that potential anew, as he buoyed the Tamaraws to a 59-51 victory vs. University of the East, energizing their grand plans of gatecrashing the playoffs with a 20-point, 8-rebound showing.
Experience incoming
Through it all, the Pampanga native is still young, Chambers reminded.
And as good as Pre is on the floor, there are still moments where he gives way to his seniors - for better or worse.
“There are times where I can tell he's looking for his kuyas to finish the play instead of him taking charge. He's going to get in trouble for one play that I called for him and he didn't finish it,” the mentor said.
“But he's amazing. And he still hasn't 100-percent showed his complete batch, as we say. He can do so much more and he's just getting there. So I just think we're still just seeing the beginning of what he's capable of doing.”
For his part, Pre would just like to keep his head in the game and repay the faith that Chambers and his kuyas has been giving him.
“Nakaka-pressure nang konti, pero nandyan naman sila coach, yung mga kuya ko na sinasabihan ako palagi na enjoy the game lang and go with the flow,” he said.
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