Prince Cariño continues to prove why he is one of the most promising talents in the UAAP Season 87 Junior High School Basketball Tournament.
The 6-foot-7 center from Quezon City delivered a dominant performance, leading Far Eastern University-Diliman to a 90-83 victory over University of Santo Tomas last Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Cariño’s 28-point game was a testament to his growing skills and hard work, especially in the clutch. He scored 16 of his points in the payoff period, helping secure the win and pushing the Baby Tamaraws to second place with a 6-1 record at the close of the first elimination round.
But for Cariño, his breakout performance is less about individual glory and more about the wealth of knowledge he’s gaining from his mentors.
Under the guidance of FEU-D coaches, along with PBA legends Marcio Lassiter and Marc Pingris – who are the fathers of his teammates Montae Lassiter and Mic Pingris – Cariño feels fortunate to have access to elite basketball minds.
“Marami po akong natututunan kina Coach Denok [Miranda], Coach Arwind [Santos], pati sila Marcio Lassiter at Marc Pingris kasi mga high-caliber PBA legends na po sila,” Cariño shared.
“Ang dami na po nilang experience, and sinasabi nila sa amin yung tamang tips sa laro. Kumbaga, isusubo na lang po namin yung mga tinuturo nila.”
Cariño especially credits his growth to Denok Miranda, who brought him to FEU-D after noticing his potential during games against his son, CP Miranda, who is now Cariño’s teammate.
“Yung anak po ni Coach Denok, La Salle siya noon. Lagi ko po siya nakakalaban,” Cariño recalled.
“Siguro nakita ako ni Coach Denok dun at kinuha niya po ako. Nagpapasalamat ako kay Coach Denok dahil sa kanya nakakapaglaro ako ngayon sa UAAP.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Reflecting on how it feels to now play alongside CP, Cariño shared, “Siyempre po maganda yung feeling kasi dati nakakalaban ko siya. Masarap din po na kakampi ko ngayon, kasi magaling at matalino na point guard.”
Still in his early stages, Cariño remains a work in progress, but with his towering height and youth, his potential is undeniable.
He knows that the road to success requires absorbing as much as possible from his mentors, especially from the likes of former PBA champion Arwind Santos, who sees a lot of promise in the young center.
“Ako, masaya ako sa performance ni Prince,” Santos remarked after the game.
“Sabi ko nga sa kanya, kailangan maging consistent ka. Kayang-kaya mo naman kunin yan, pero may kailangan ka pang idagdag para maging mas kumpleto ka as a player, lalo na sa depensa at shot-blocking. Yung opensa mo, nakita ko na meron ka talaga niyan.”
As FEU-D moves into the second round, Cariño and his teammates know the competition will only get tougher. But for a player eager to learn and improve, the challenges ahead represent opportunities for growth.
“Masasabi ko po sa first-round performance namin, maganda, pero marami pa kaming kailangan i-improve, lalo na sa defense,” Cariño acknowledged.
“Patibayin pa namin lalo kasi sure po ako na pahirap ng pahirap ang makakalaban namin sa second round.”
