Reflection and Wait with the FEU Tamaraws

Reflection and Wait with the FEU Tamaraws
by rick olivares

Hopefully this will thaw the icy relations between the two teams. Several FEU Tamaraws -- Benedict Fernandez, Marnel Baracael, JR Cawaling, Mark Barroca, and Aldrech Ramos -- are on the Harbour Centre PBL team where there are several current and former DLSU Green Archers including Rico Maierhofer, Bader Malabes, and Jerwin Gaco among others. The Tams' Jens Knuttel is a practice player.

If there is one team that FEU would not like to lose in the UAAP, it is against La Salle.

Their team manager, their coach, and their players confirm it and they make no bones about it. They've faced each other several times in the league finals and have come away with controversial endings as well.

Tamaraws Head Coach Glenn Capacio is now an assistant to Harbour Centre's Jorge Gallent, himself a former FEU player. It's been 47 days since their season ended at the hands of La Salle. The loss which ended the college careers of Baracel, Fernandez, Ron Cabagnot, and Marlon Adolfo is now mostly forgotten. If there's anyone who thinks about it, it is Capacio. Coaches are paid to dwell on these stuff. And to plan for the future.

Fernandez walked over to say hi to his former coach. The streak shooting guard is excited that he's close to a PBA career. "Kung hindi naman mag-work out, I can always go to Canada kung saan yung family ko," he reasoned. He still kills himself for his blunder in their Final Four game where instead of taking it to the rack against the smaller Jayvee Casio, he chose to take an ill-advised fallaway. But that's all in the past. Now he will try and make good in the PBL so he could move up to the pros within a year. "Dream ko yun," he concluded before he ran to the court for warm-ups.

Capacio would have loved dearly to play Ateneo in the finals as he knows they would have matched up better than La Salle. "It's ironic when you think that we can beat Ateneo -- in last year's Uni-Games Finals and in the Fr. Martin Finals -- while they can beat La Salle and La Salle can beat us," wondered the coach as he overlooked a team workout in the sweltering hot Blue Eagle Gym. "Naglaro ako dito sa gym na to nung player ako. Marami akong good memories dito. Maybe because we won a lot."

Who knew he'd become a coach? But if you've watched the younger brother of Ely Capacio through the years, you would know that he had to reinvent himself into a defensive player if he wanted to continue his tenure with the National Team and in the pros. "We had a lot of scorers then -- nandun si Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Nelson Asaytono, Jerry Codinera, Jojo Lastimosa, Ronnie Magsanoc, at iba pa. So how do you make the team with a line-up like that? You play defense."

Lounging nearby are three of his remaining players -- Paul Sanga, Jun Tanuan, and Knuttel. They all are practice players with the PBL's latest dynasty which has won five straight conferences; a record in the semi-pro league.

Capacio sometimes does a double take when he sees Tanuan, the son of his late former FEU and Purefoods teammate Jack Tanuan. "Sabagay, I have a son with the (Gwyne of the De La Salle Santiago) Zobel Junior Archers," he laughed. "Bilis ng panahon. Dati player pa lang tayo."

"FEU will be back," he promised as he referred to the players moving up from Team B. "And we'll be better."

Knuttel sidled over as the coach moved down to the lower level to chat with Gallent. Knuttel, the second year point guard had a big grin painted all over him. "I should be playing here," he said as he extended his hand in welcome like an almost gracious host. "Pero I do kasi I play sa Ateneo Basketball League (ABL)."

The Fil-German was playing for Ateneo De Zamboanga when a chance encounter brought him to Manila to play in a tournament. While in the nation's capital, he tried out for San Beda without telling his father who speaks only German. The elder Knuttel wanted him to finish his studies at Ateneo de Zamboanga and while he didn't think too highly of a basketball career for his son, he didn't frown upon it either.

But come enrollment, the father was astonished to find out that his son was still in Manila. Jens thought that the distance would make it easier to convince his father to give him an opportunity to play in Manila. "This is what I want, Papa," he pleaded to his father in German.

Only by the time he committed, it was too late to move to San Beda and the Red Cubs soon took in Luis Alfonso Revilla. Undaunted he found his way to the FEU campus which wasn't too far from Mendiola and there he tried out and was eventually accepted into the FERN campus beside the upscale Ferndale Villages near Fairview, Quezon City.

After high school, he practiced a few times with the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles and as much as he would have wanted to go there, he found himself a little more at home with the senior FEU team that had Barroca who was a southerner like him. "Si Mark made the transition easier in Manila," he said of his teammate.

The competition in Manila was not only more intense and fiercer but even at times mortifying. In their Final Four loss to La Salle in the recently-concluded Men's Basketball Tournament, Knuttel found himself on the receiving end of an alumnus from the opposing team who harangued him from the patron section in the match's final minutes. "He threatened me with harm."

"What did I do? I made the sign of the Cross. God bless him na lang for he doesn't know what he is doing."

And maybe the Harbour Centre experience will indeed thaw those ice floes between the two schools. Knuttel admitted to finding a kindred spirit in Rico Maierhofer who is the team's biggest jokester. "Kasama ko siya sa kakulitan," beamed the young player like he had a shiny new toy. "Okay naman siya as a teammate."

Sanga in the meantime heaved a sigh of relief as he plopped down into the nearby seat. He just got back from a visit at the clinic at the Moro Lorenzo Sports Center where he went for rehab after an ACL injury.

"Namasyal lang ako at dinalaw ko yung mga PT sa Moro," he said. "Masaya 'tong basketball. Marami ka nakikilala."

The reed-thin forward talked about his recent game in the UAAP and expressed disappointment about his performance. He promised to work on his shot and to bulk up. "Payat kasi," he laughed. "Siguro pagnagkalaman, papansinin na ako ng chicks."

There's a practice game going on against the San Mig Coffee Kings. Barroca mistakes a referee for a teammate as he passes the ball to his surprise running mate. Everyone inside the gym lets out a laugh.

"Sarap maglaro," announced Sanga to no one in particular. Tanuan, looking scholarly with prescription eyeglasses nodded his head in agreement.

"Hay, ang tagal pa ng UAAP."