Former teammates in UP, JD Cagulangan and Carl Tamayo now play professional hoops in the KBL with the Suwon KT Sonicboom and Changwon LG Sakers, respectively.
JD Cagulangan was one of the biggest supporters of good pal Carl Tamayo during his recent run with the Changwon LG Sakers in the 2024-25 KBL season, where Tamayo proved pivotal in his team’s first championship.
Having been behind Tamayo since their college days with the UP Fighting Maroons, Cagulangan has been witness to all the ups and downs of the former UAAP Rookie of the Year.
During his stay in Japan, Tamayo saw little court time despite being a champion with the Ryukyu Golden Kings.
But with Tamayo now flourishing with a bigger and better role with Changwon in the KBL, Cagulangan believes it was a long time coming.
[READ: Carl Tamayo, Changwon LG Sakers take Game 7 vs Seoul to win KBL Finals]
“Sobrang happy ako for him. Alam naman natin na di ganon kaganda yung nangyari sa kanya sa Japan, and pinakita niya [dito] sa KBL na kaya niya maglaro internationally, and hindi lang kaya, nag-dominate pa siya.” said Cagulangan, whose team exited in the semifinals.
During the season with Changwon, Tamayo played a total of 60 games — 10 of which were in the playoffs. During those games, he averaged 15.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.9 steals in a game.
He also played more than 27 minutes per game.
In Game 7 of the Finals against the Seoul SK Knights, Tamayo had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two assists, and two steals. Carl's earlier work in the series also allowed the LG Sakers to take a commanding 3-0 lead.
Cagulangan said that it was a good time for Tamayo to build on his confidence in Changwon, which was also compounded by the support of Filipinos and other KBL fans in Korea.
A fan favorite himself, Cagulangan said that it was a good development for his fellow UAAP champion to be where he is right now.
“I’m happy for him, and yun, sobrang saya ng Filipino fans para sa kanya and sana magtuloy-tuloy yung success niya,” he said.
Tamayo will likely return to Changwon after his highly successful season. Meanwhile, Cagulangan will also be back for another year in Korea with the Suwon KT Sonicboom.
After winning Rookie of the Year in his first foray in international basketball, Cagulangan will hope to impact his team more and lead them deeper into the title conversation.