IF the defending UAAP champions Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws are to make a return trip to the finals, they will have to do so behind the efforts of former Cesafi standouts and veteran cagers Monbert Arong and Toto Jose.
The duo, who are playing in their final seasons in the UAAP, said in an exclusive interview with Cebu Daily News, that they are more than up to the challenge when they tangle with the Ateneo Blue Eagles in a winner-take-all match for the right to advance to the best-of-three finals against overwhelming favorites, La Salle.
Jose, a former sentinel of the Cebu Eastern College, said that he is ready to give more of his all, a few days after piling up 20 points and a whopping 23 rebounds in their 62-61 win over Ateneo last weekend.
“Binuhos ko talaga lahat ng makakaya ko sa laro kasi ayaw pa talaga ng puso ko magbakasyon,” said the lefty forward who has been a revelation for the Tamaraws in the wake of the departure of several of the team’s veterans from last season led by recent PBA draft picks Mac Belo, Mike Tolomia and Cebuano Roger Pogoy.
“Mindset ko ayaw ko pa magbakasyon. Gusto ko pa manalo at makabalik kami sa final para maganda naman ang exit namin ni Monbert Arong. Bigay na namin lahat na makakaya namin,” the Bacolod-native added.
After playing from behind for most of the game, Arong and Jose conspired to put FEU in front, thanks to a 21-4 run that brought the Tams back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth. With a new lease on their playoff lives, Arong said that he and the rest of his teammates must key in on every possession to brighten their chances of snatching the win.