FEU’s Jorick Bautista during a game against UST in UAAP Season 87.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Far Eastern University may not have a successful first round in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament but guard Jorick Bautista saw some silver lining.

Following another loss to end the first round this time at the hands of University of Santo Tomas, 83-72, Bautista expressed positivity despite FEU’s 1-6 record.

“They’ve come a long way. They’re so different from the past games,” said Bautista, referring to the Tamaraws’ young guns, in Filipino on Saturday.

FEU coach Sean Chambers and Jorick Bautista talk about their 1-6 finish in the first round. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/0cOlSO1yEX

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) October 5, 2024

“Now they’re getting their groove more, they’ve been playing better which will be a big help for us come the second round. They’ve learned a lot and hopefully they will bring that improvement in the next round.”

Bautista, showing why he’s the veteran of the squad, top scored for FEU with 17 points in the loss.

Aside from Bautista, FEU rookies Veejay Pre and Janrey Pasaol also shone in the defeat

Pre proved his mettle anew with 14 points and seven rebounds while Pasaol registered 14 points with three assists and three rebounds.

However, even with the visible progression, Bautista hopes to see more out of FEU’s newcomers come the second round.

“We need composure and maturity in the end game. That’s what we need to improve come the second round so when we get to losing points, we’d know what to do.”

While the rookies continue to show tremendous progress, Bautista is also on a mission to improve himself.

One of the biggest lessons he learned at the end of the first round came while going up against his counterpart in UST’s Forthsky Padrigao.

“It all started with Forthsky. Forthsky is such a big part of them, he’s so mature, he knows every players’ movements on the court,” said Bautista of Padrigao.

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Padrigao showed his leadership anew for the Growling Tigers with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists, playing a crucial role down the stretch to fend off the Tamaraws’ late fightback.

“I need to learn how he handled the pressure in the endgame. He’s so composed in using the ball screen and reading the offense or defensekinggame casino, he knew it all.”

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