The whole country gasped when Carl Tamayo sprained his left ankle during Gilas Pilipinas Men’s 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers game against Indonesia, Friday evening at AUF Sports & Cultural Gym in Pampanga.
And one of those worried for the young 20-year-old was Gilas legend Ranidel De Ocampo.
Immediately after the game, the 39-year-old — who is now part of TNT’s coaching staff — tweeted to Tamayo, asking for an update with regards to his injury.
“Hi Carl Tamayo! Sana okay ka lang. Kuya Ranidel De Ocampo [mo ‘to].”
To which Tamayo replied, “Okay lang po ako kuya RDO. Salamat po!”
It was definitely a starstruck moment for the 6-foot-7 Tamayo as the 6-foot-5 De Ocampo is an idol of his.
Besides watching his countless battles with the national team, Tamayo has patterned some of his game to De Ocampo’s.
Photo by FIBA.basketball
In fact, Tamayo got De Ocampo’s no. 33 which the latter had been using since the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Tamayo has been averaging 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists during the Qualifiers so far. He is doubtful heading into their final game against South Korea on Sunday, however.
But having the same fighting spirit as De Ocampo, Tamayo will certainly fight his way to make it to that game.
