Over the past couple of months, Caelum Harris has literally been living inside Moro Lorenzo Gym in Quezon City.
In the morning, the 17-year-old standout out of Stewart Creek High School trains with Gilas Youth. In the evening, he joins the big boys in Gilas Men.
At first, the 6-foot-5 winger admitted that it was tough. But with his youth, Harris was able to adjust fast.
“Playing with both teams, at first it was really hard because it’s two trainings every day,” he said in an interview with SMART Sports. “But I eventually adjusted, playing for both teams and making sure my recovery is there. It wasn’t really hard once I got used to it.
“It came more like being part of the journey. Both teams want me to play for them and both teams want me to play for the team.”
Surprisingly, Harris did not expect to be part of the youth team as he was initially invited to the seniors squad.
Joining the boys’ team was an opportunity he could not refuse.
“I didn’t expect to be part of both teams. I was told that I was coming here for the men’s team but when they gave me the opportunity to play for the youth team, I accepted it for as long as I can get to play both,” he shared.
“For me, it’s about the experience of being part of both teams and I wanted to learn from the older guys to set the right path for myself.”
Being around his peers has really been a treat for Harris.
In Gilas Youth, he is joined by fellow Filipino-Americans like Jared Bayla, Zain Mahmood, Jayden Jones, and Alex Konov. He also got close with the likes of Lebron Nieto and Santi Romero.
“Adjusting to the Philippines was kind of hard at the beginning,” he shared. “The heat was a lot different but I was able to adjust after a couple of months. I’m enjoying this journey especially when we went up to Pampanga and just travelling and going around with my teammates.
“This team Coach Josh [Reyes] put together, I’m excited and happy. I’m glad to be around my teammates.”
Expectations will be high with this batch of Gilas Youth.
It was just five years ago when the golden age of prospects bannered by Kai Sotto, AJ Edu, Carl Tamayo, and Dalph Panopio lifted the country to two World Cup berths.
Though not packing the same ceiling as the previous batch, Harris is confident that this batch can do wonders with its chemistry.
“I’m really excited about the composition of this team,” he said. “Honestly, my expectation is to win gold. I don’t feel like going into anything thinking that we are going to lose.
“With the team that we have right now, we have a great chance of being number one for as long as we play as a team.”
