Janrey Pasaol hopes to carry the lessons from his stints in both Far Eastern University (FEU) and Gilas Pilipinas heading into Season 89 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

The newly-crowned Season 88 Most Valuable Player said he wants to win more games early on so that they would control their fate in the UAAP.

The younger brother of former University of the East star Alvin Pasaol averaged 15.4 points, a league-best 7.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 steals as he became the first Tamaraw to win the biggest individual prize since Terrence Romeo back in 2013.

However, FEU finished in fifth place in the elimination round with a 7-7 win-loss record.

“My mindset has always been to lead FEU to the Final Four. We almost did it but we left our fate to other teams,” Pasaol said.

“Next season, we really need to win more games starting in the first round.”

Coming off a heartbreaking campaign in the men’s 3x3 in the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the 22-year-old Davao City guard will be using that setback in his motivation for both his Gilas and FEU stints.

Joining forces with Ange Kouame, Joseph Eriobu, and Joseph Sedurifa, Gilas swept its first two matches in the preliminary round before losing 20-21 to Singapore and 19-21 to Malaysia in the bronze medal match at the Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.

“I was disappointed since we weren’t able to get to the podium. That’s 3x3, sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes, you’re not,” Pasaol said.

“I will bring my experience from playing in the SEA Games for next year. We’ll just have to wait and see where we’ll end up next season.”

The Tamaraws hope to return to the Final Four after last making it that far back in Season 84 in 2022.