All eyes were on the UP Fighting Maroons’ Veejay Pre on Sunday as he faced his former team, the FEU Tamaraws, in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Pre and the Fighting Maroons ultimately lost, 90-79, after the hosts mounted a strong second half, but that didn’t keep the 6-foot-5 forward from feeling “happy” meeting his old mates.
Veejay Pre Goes Up Against Friends
Veejay Pre is a proud product of the FEU-Diliman juniors team and started his high school career playing alongside Kirby Mongcopa and Janrey Pasaol. The trio later spent a year together in the collegiate ranks before Pre decided to take his talents to the UP Fighting Maroons after UAAP Season 87. It was a shocking decision at that time, but a year later, it’s clear the former Tamaraw still views his former teammates in high regard.
“Siguro, ano, masaya kasi nagtapat kami. Back in high school nagpapaturo ako sa kanya kasi teammate kami,” said Pre. “It’s a pleasure na makasama [sila] sa court, pero ’yun nga magkalaban kami sa court. Pero paglabas ng court magkaibigan.”
In their first face-off, Pasaol and Mongcopa got the better of Veejay Pre. Pasaol wound up finishing with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, while Mongcopa continued his strong play this season with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Pre did well himself, tallying 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist in the loss.
Strong Start Is a Must, According to Veejay Pre
The UP-FEU matchup on Sunday looked like it would come down the stretch as the Tamaraws led by only two after halftime despite their strong first quarter. Then, the men in green and gold erupted for 32 points in the third quarter and held the Fighting Maroons to just 14 to seize control.
While the third quarter proved to be UP’s undoing, Veejay Pre wants his team to avoid slow starts, just like it did against FEU.
“From the start pa lang, strong start na kami,” he told reporters. “Bumitaw kami para sa akin. Pero ayun, dapat sa amin hindi nangyari ’yun lalo na pagdating ng mahahalagang games. Every game mahahalaga so dapat hindi kami ganun.”
Veejay Pre and the rest of the Fighting Maroons will look to start strong and bounce back on Sunday, October 11, when they take on defending champions La Salle Green Archers.
