HARD not to like the upside on this kid Carl Tamayo.
A surprise call-up for the Gilas Pilipinas men's team, Tamayo made the most out of his 10 minutes on the floor, scoring 10 points while shooting 4-of-5 from the field in the dramatic 81-78 win over Asian archrival Korea.
Behind the efforts of Dwight Ramos, SJ Belangel, Ange Koaume, and Kai Sotto, this youthful Gilas side struggled to find its footing against Korea in the Fiba Asia Cup qualifier inside the Clark bubble in Angeles City.
The Gilas youngsters fell behind by as much as 17 points yet managed to regroup and snatch the victory, in much the same manner Korea beat the Philippines in the past, on Belangel's game-winner at the buzzer.
Tamayo was one of the unlikely heroes. The incoming University of the Philippines big man sparked the comeback with an early three-pointer then scored four key points in the nip-and-tuck final quarter for the hosts.
He played so well, in fact, that head coach Tab Baldwin decided to have Tamayo on the floor late in the game and be the first option in the final play with 2.9 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 78-all.
The 20-year-old was well-guarded by Korea big man Ricardo Ratliffe, forcing inbounder Ramos to look for other options. Fortunately he found one in Belangel who banked in a desperation three for the thrilling victory.
“It was multi-optional but the primary option we wanted was to get Carl Tamayo under the basket with the ball on a direct entry pass from Dwight,” Baldwin bared.
The 6-foot-7 Tamayo displayed his multi-faceted offensive game of scoring in and out of the paint, while also holding his own on the physicality of Korea. His four points in the fourth quarter including a jumper that put Gilas up, 68-64.
This epic win wouldn't have been possible without him.
“There’s just so many guys make plays I can’t even name all of them. It was a great team effort. That’s what we want. That’s what we expect, and that’s what we need in order to be successful in the elite level of Asia and ultimately in the World Cup,” said Baldwin.
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