FILE–Carl Tamayo and the UP Fighting Maroons. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Despite the University of the Philippines’ 3-0 start, Carl Tamayo believes the Fighting Maroons still have a lot of room for improvement in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.
The Gilas Pilipinas forward came to the rescue in the payoff period, scoring eight of his 16 points to fend off Far Eastern University, 73-67, for their third straight win on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tamayo, who shot 6-of-13 from the field, and tallied six rebounds, three assists, and one steal, was glad to earn another victory but he thinks the Fighting Maroons still need to be more consistent.
“I’m happy but there’s still a lot to work on for our team. We had a huge lead in the first quarter, then suddenly FEU took the lead after the first half,” he said in Filipino referring to their 20-6 start in the game.
Despite that, the 6-foot-7 big man was pleased with how they displayed grace under pressure in the past three games.
“I think the good thing is our team never stopped whatever the situation we faced. The team is ready facing this kind of pressure. We may be inconsistent but at least at the end of the day, we accepted and overcame the pressure and still got the win,” Tamayo said.
Although they were able remain unbeaten so far, the 21-year-old sophomore hopes UP continues to unleash its its full potential as their title-retention bid this season goes on.
“There is still a huge room for improvement. It’s just the start of the season, our third game. This isn’t over. We will go through more challenges,” Tamayo said. “I think as the season goes, we will improvement more. And hopefully if we reach the final four, the team will be solid in terms of consistency.”
Tamayo guns for their fourth win against his high school alma mater as UP takes on National University (1-1) on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.