MANILA, Philippines – Former UP teammates Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan shared the spotlight as they both received awards for the 2024-2025 Korean Basketball League (KBL) season.
Tamayo of the Changwon LG Sakers earned selection to the Best 5, which is equivalent to the Mythical Team, while Cagulangan of the Suwon KT Sonicboom clinched the Rookie of the Year plum on Wednesday, April 9.
After playing two seasons for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japan B. League, Tamayo proved his mettle in his first year in the KBL, putting up 15.1 points on 47% shooting to go with 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 50 games.
With Tamayo and Egyptian import Assem Marei, another Best 5 member, leading the way, the Sakers compiled a 34-20 record for the second seed and a direct entry to the semifinals.
A Gilas Pilipinas mainstay, Tamayo finished 12th in scoring as he submitted four 30-point performances and tallied at least 20 points in 10 games.
Meanwhile, Cagulangan became the second Filipino import to win Rookie of the Year after RJ Abarrientos achieved the feat in the 2022-2023 season for the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus.
Cagulangan averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 28 games as the Sonicboom advanced to the quarterfinals as the fourth seed with a 33-21 record.
Joining Tamayo and Marei in the Best 5 were Jameel Warney, Ahn Young-jun, and Kim Sun-hyung of the league-leading Seoul SK Knights, who claimed the top seed with a 41-13 record.
Warney and Ahn were named Foreign and Domestic MVP, respectively.
Tamayo and Changwon await their semifinal opponent, while Cagulangan and Suwon face SJ Belangel and Daegu KOGAS Pegasus in the quarterfinals. – Rappler.com
