BEHIND the continued ascent of one Janrey Pasaol, Far Eastern University finally strung together a couple of wins in UAAP Season 88.
To welcome the second round, the Tamaraws kept Ateneo on a downward spiral with a 75-68 victory, where Pasaol chipped in 15 points, 13 assists, and five rebounds.
Those numbers bumped up his averages to 18.3 points, 6.6 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.1 steals - clearly making his case as the best point guard in the league.
While FEU was slowly shedding its shortcomings from its previous five losses, a recent new acquaintance checked in on the progress of their budding superstar.
“I got a text from Kent Bazemore two weeks ago when we were kinda struggling a little bit, he was like, ‘How’s John doing?” head coach Sean Chambers shared with the media in his post-win interview.
“They remember John in Sacramento, how well he played against the Sacramento Kings guys. And then I go, ‘Don’t worry about him, that kid’s tough, he’s gonna bounce back.'”
Bazemore was one of the many NBA and NBA G-League players that the green-and-gold scrimmaged with in their trip to California back in July.
READ: Janrey a man on a mission to prove Pasaols pass the ball
And even with the hundreds of hoopers that the former Golden State Warrior matched up with through his career, the 22-year-old younger brother of Alvin Pasaol still caught his eye.
“Sobrang saya. Warm up pa lang, nakatingin na kami sa kanya eh, kasi minsan lang kami makakita ng NBA player tapos nakalaro pa namin. Sobrang blessed na namin na makalaro siya,” Pasaol told SPIN.ph.
“Noong naglaro na, nakadikit kami sa kanila, pero lugi kami kasi nga kasi sobrang lalaki nila ta's ang galing ni Kent Bazemore, kinain kami lahat.”
Assistant coach Kent?
As the Davao-born guard recalled, Bazemore took heavy interest in the Tamaraws and how in-tune they were with Chambers’ system - patterned, of course, after his former Alaska coach Tim Cone.
The ex-NBA player was so impressed that not long after, he attended FEU's training in the U.S. and gave his fair share of pointers.
“Pinuri pa nga kami kasi nga maganda yung sistema namin eh, nabilib siya sa'min kung pa'no kami mag-execute,” Pasaol recalled.
“So nag-chat siya kay coach Sean na kung pwede pumunta siya sa practice namin. Ta's nagturo din siya sa'min kung pa'no pa i-improve yung triangle namin.”
Though Bazemore's mere presence profoundly affected the young Morayta squad, his most invaluable impact was undoubtedly the confidence he built up in Pasaol.
“Sobrang dami naming natutunan sa mga laro namin dun sa Sacramento. Isa din siya sa mga dahilan kung bakit mataas kumpyansa ko ngayong season na ‘to,” Pasaol said.
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