By Jerome Lagunzad
As National University standout Carl Tamayo was focused on answering questions from sports scribes at the end of Batang Gilas’ sendoff presser on Monday night at The Bar One in Crowne Plaza-Manila, Ateneo center Kai Sotto reached out his phone then joined the scrum.
“What preparations have you been doing for the…?,” the 7-foot-2 Sotto tried to ask before he was cut by the 6-foot-7 Tamayo. “Stop it, Kai! I’m already having a hard time answering them one by one,” he said with a grin.
Both teenage giants are having the fun times with each other since they will be on the same side – and not on the opposite ends – for the Batang Gilas which are determined to make some heads turn in the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina later this month.
“Well, I’m excited to team up with Kai,” said Tamayo, 17, deemed by many as the future of Philippine basketball along with the gangling Sotto. “It’s really great to have him as one of my teammates. I could also learn some things from him and more importantly, I don’t need to worry about stopping him in this upcoming tournament.”
The continued emergence of Sotto, named as the Best Center in the FIBA Asia U-16 tourney last April in Foshan, China where the country finished fourth overall, and the likely addition of the vastly-improving Tamayo to the fold could give the Nationals a fighting chance in the June 30-July 8 tourney in Rosario and Sante Fe, Argentina.
“I think this is the strongest and tallest Under-17 team that will be formed,” said Bounty Agro Ventures president Ronald Mascariñas, who shared center stage with Batang Gilas coaches Mike Oliver and Josh Reyes and co-team managers Andrew Teh and Wilbert Loa and the other World Cup-bound players.
Also present were latest additions Gerry Abadiano, Migs Pascual and Bismarck Lina plus FIBA Asia U-16 veterans Raven Cortez, Forthsky Padrigao, RC Calimag, Terrence Fortea, Joshua Lazaro, Geo Chiu, Yukien Andrada, Mac Guadana, Jerick Bautista, King Balaga and Rafael Go.
