BY ANDREI BARRANTES
HEADING into the 2025 SMART NBTC National Finals, all eyes were on the defending Division 1 champion Fil-Am Nation Select USA.
Not just because they were kicking off their title defense with the leadership of a renowned NBA coach in Byron Scott, but also because of the imminent return of their starting forward and former Gilas Pilipinas Youth, Caelum Harris.
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As much hype as he and the entire USA squad got, it wasn’t an easy tournament for Harris, who was already ailing with jumper’s knee before getting hit with food poisoning ahead of their seeding round match against Top Flight Sports Canada.
To add insult to injury, the 6-foot-7 wing also tweaked his ankle when matching up against his teammate and fellow all-star Lino Mark in the Foot Locker All-Star Game.
Still, it didn’t stop the eager Harris from fighting through and suiting up for the finals the next day.
“Definitely powered through. One of the things that I’ve been taught by many coaches is that pain is a mentality and when it comes down to games like this, big games, this pain thing is not gonna matter,” he said.
And true enough, Harris showed little to no signs of injury as he flanked Lino Mark’s 32-point outburst with seven points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks – including a crucial one late over top-ranked high school player Kieffer Alas – to enter historic territory as the second team ever to defend their NBTC title.
For Harris, the thrill of running it back was all he ever needed.
“It was exhilarating. Knowing that you put in the work and then you come out here and you win a chip, that’s amazing,” Harris said.
“I think we’re like the second from NU to go back-to-back, so it's amazing to put my name in history,” he added.
Where to, Caelum?
Though the highly touted Harris still has a season of junior college left before officially entering the collegiate scene, the countdown for his final decision on where he’ll be playing in the seniors level has started.
Since his commitment to the University of Nevada encountered setbacks, Harris has pivoted to opening the door to other offers – including some from local universities.
“My plans [are] just to be open. Honestly, I wanna go to school in the States, but at the same time, I don’t wanna deny anything. I wanna always keep my options open,” he said.
At least three UAAP schools have now entered the bidding war for Harris should he decide to continue his basketball journey here in the Philippines.
Despite the generous amount of offers, Harris remains coy on which school he is leaning to, saying;
“A few schools in the Philippines have been talking to me, but we’ll keep that under the radar, but there are some that have piqued my interest.”
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