By Vince Matthew Jaramilla

With all eyes set on the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws after Veejay Pre’s decision to transfer schools, head coach Sean Chambers expressed care for the young star and encouraged everyone to move past the issue.

“It all may not [align] together, but, at the end of the day, we have a kid stuck in the middle and that's heartbreaking so we all need to move on for the betterment of Veejay,” he said after their win against University of the East in the 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup today, May 22, at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The Morayta-based tactician described the fiasco as unique, with Pre being the focus of attention and having been required to make such a difficult choice.

“It's a very unique situation. We love him—he's a kid, and I think, as the adults, eventually, we need to stop talking about it and let it just kinda go about his way because [of] the amount of adults making a decision for a kid and he's stuck in the middle,” Chambers stated.

He elaborated on the situation being the first of its kind since he started watching the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 1987, the reigning men’s basketball Rookie of the Year’s love for FEU, and his empathy for Pre’s family-oriented decision.

The former Philippine Basketball Association Best Import also highlighted integrity in the country’s sports sphere, having worked with respected figures from Fred Uytengsu when he was still with the Alaska Aces to the Montinola family currently as he works for the green-and-gold.

“I'm so happy that the Montinola family and FEU are [aligned] with the way they did things and what I mean by that [is] we choose success, excellence, and our achievement with integrity and that's [why] I'm so happy I'm at a university that wants us to always work with a level of integrity in everything that we do,” he said.

Moreover, Chambers made sure to reiterate his care for Pre and wished him the best for the next chapter of his career.

“I'm grateful with where we're at, and again, God bless Veejay, he sent me an amazing message. I love that kid like he's my own son but at the end of the day, I will never tell a family what not to do, ever, you know?... I wish him all the best. I really do,” the coach remarked.

Pre was initially listed in the Tamaraws’ Filoil roster. And now that FEU takes on the challenge of his absence in the preseason league and the upcoming UAAP Season 88, Chambers emphasized how they will find a way to “make our kids better.”

As of writing, new faces from Morayta, such as Liam Salangsang, Montell Shelton, and Paolo Galvez, have seen minutes in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, with other young cagers still to be awaited.

(Photo courtesy of the Filoil EcoOil Sports Facebook page)