SJ Belangel is a firm believer in Carl Tamayo’s skills, with the former UP Fighting Maroon looking to push the Changwon LG Sakers to their very first KBL title.
They may be former collegiate rivals, but SJ Belangel of the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus is one of the biggest believers in Carl Tamayo’s championship bid with the Changwon LG Sakers in the ongoing KBL Finals.
After exiting in the quarterfinals, Belangel is now watching from the outside looking in as the LG Sakers moved on win away from their maiden title in the KBL, leading the no. 1 seed Seoul SK Knights, 3-0.
Speaking to media at the NBA Rising Stars event on Saturday, Belangel spoke highly about Tamayo and how he’s done so far in the league.
Apart from helping his team to their first-ever championship, Belangel believes Tamayo will also bring home hardware.
“I’m happy for Carl. I’ve been with Carl for a long time. Same kami ng strength and conditioning coach, alam ko yung pinagdaanan niya during the Japan league niya. Stay niya don. At the same time, I’m just happy for him,” said Belangel.
“He’s balling, he’s one win away from the championship and being named MVP. For me. Pero everyone knows in the KBL, he deserves to be [Finals] MVP, so tiwala lang and he can do it.”
In the playoffs where the LG Sakers have gone 6-0, Tamayo is averaging 19 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, an improvement from his averages during the regular season of 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists.
This is a far cry from Tamayo’s performances when he was in the Japan B.LEAGUE, where he was used sparingly by the Ryukyu Golden Kings on their way to the 2023 title.
For Belangel, it was a good development for players like Tamayo and the rest of the Filipino imports that they are given the chance to show their mettle in Korea. Belangel himself has been a key cog for the Pegasus, norming 14.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals.
As more Filipinos take their talents to South Korea, Belangel believes they are showing exactly what they’re made of.
“For me, I’m just happy lang talaga kasi at the same time, nakikita ko na madaming napupunta sa KBL. I’m happy with their performance. This season, yung Asian Quota which is us, the Philippines, maganda napakita this season,” Belangel said.
“I’m just really happy and nakikita din, not just the Philippine fans but also the KBL fans nakikita nila na iba yung impact ng Asian Quota dun sa performance,” he added.
Apart from Tamayo, another Filipino import in Juan Gomez de Liaño also features in the KBL Finals. In Game 2, Gomez de Liaño had a breakout performance and finished with a KBL career-high of 19 points.
Seoul and Changwon meet for Game 4 of the Finals on Sunday, May 11.