Carl Tamayo drops true feelings on missing FIBA Asia World Cup 2023

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Carl Tamayo, one of the future stars of Philippine basketball, could have been an added body to the Philippine national team that competed in the 2023 FIBA World Cup earlier this 2023.

The prestigious cage meet was held from August 25 to September 10 with Gilas Pilipinas going up against the best of the world. The team had Utah Jazz player Jordan Clarkson backstopping the national squad alongside the likes of AJ Edu, Kai Sotto, Dwight Ramos, and Rhenz Abando.

The Philippines managed to win against Saudi Arabia, 84-46, and shockingly against China, 96-75, sparked by Clarkson.

AJ Edu of the Toyama Grouses guarding Carl Tamayo of the Ryukyu Golden Kings in B.League action [photo credit: Japanese B.League]

Tamayo’s true feelings on missing FIBA Asia Cup stint

A lot has been said on the player selection although Tamayo knows that such is not in his hands.

When asked about the extent of his injury, the former UP Fighting Maroon who now plays for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japanese B.League feels that his injury was playable at the time.

“I was injured but I think my injury was playable at that time. Hind lang siguro talaga pinalad (I just wasn’t’ fortunate),” the 22-year-old said.

Rather than sulk, the 6-foot-8 cager prefers to move on and look at what lies ahead. Being left out of the Philippine national team, Tamayo had more time to practice with the Golden Kings and get more acquainted with Japan’s culture.

“Everything happens for a reason. I came here [to Japan] much earlier because I didn’t play for Gilas. I had more time to practice with the team, know each other and the culture in Japan and the team,” Tamayo quipped.

More time to adjust with Golden Kings

After one season, the 2021 UAAP Rookie of the Year admits that he was brought in not plainly for scoring.

“It’s not about scoring all the time here. I realized playing here in Japan, it’s not about scoring. It’s about how you impact the team in other ways,” the Cebu-born cager said.

Carl Tamayo of the Ryukyu Golden Kings [photo credit: Japanes B.League]

Tamayo, now leaner and fit, saw roughly 19 minutes of action in the loss of Ryukyu Golden Kings to Osaka Evessa on Saturday, November 4, at the Ookini Arena Maishima. He contributed 7 points and 6 rebounds in that loss.

For the season, Tamayo is averaging 5.7 points, and 4.4 rebounds in 18.8 minutes of action.

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Brian Yalung

Managing Editor at Sports Bytes PH

Brian Yalung is a long-time writer who covers most sports and technology. He focuses on one-on-one interviews with athletes and organizations, going in-depth. He finished his Masters in Business Administration degree at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Applications at the DLSU-College of St. Benilde.