When the Gilas Pilipinas Cadets took on the UP Fighting Maroons Tuesday evening, there was a surprise starter for the Cadets.
Sixteen-year-old Carl Tamayo was tasked to man Gilas’ frontline and bang bodies with 21-year-old Nigerian big man Bright Akhuetie. In a surprise, the 6-foot-7 NU high school standout was able to keep pace with the 6-foot-8 former NCAA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.
“Every opportunity counts,” the former Adamson High School standout shared.
This summer has been an eye-opening experience for Tamayo. In what could be called as his “on-the-job training”, he is being coached by some of the brightest minds in basketball while getting to play alongside the biggest stars in the amateur ranks. Moreover, he gets to face more mature collegiate student-athletes on a daily basis.
“It’s a great experience for me na naka-match up ko yung mga [foreigners] ng iba’t ibang school. Malaking exposure sa akin yun,” beamed Tamayo, who finished the game with seven points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of game time.
“Marami akong natutunan dun.
“Laking exposure sakin. College team ang kalaban namin, may minutes naman ako maglaro, so marami talagang akong natututunan,” the young buck added.
Currently though, the Gilas Cadets are in danger of not making it to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Filoil Flying V Preseason Cup presented by Chooks-to-Go. And he vows to do his all so that this experience will not have a quick ending.
