MALAYONG LUPAIN: Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan Cross Paths in Korea

Nearly three years ago, Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan were at the dawn of their journey as UP Fighting Maroons. Now, as 2025 unfurls like a sunflower in bloom, they’re rookies all over again—this time in the Land of the Morning Calm.

On Monday night, Tamayo and Cagulangan squared off against each other in the Korean Basketball League. While it sounds funny to evoke college nostalgia for two “fresh graduates” of the UAAP, there’s clearly an extended degree of separation between their university versions and their pro selves.

The big man wearing no. 33 and the court general sporting no. 24 in South Korea are not the same players that the UP faithful cheered for these past four seasons. At the same time, though, some things have never changed for Carl the Closer and Mr. Cash Money. Clearly, you can take the players out of the maroon, but you can’t take the maroon out of the players.

Humayo’t Itanghal

Tamayo, of course, has been doing the foreign import thing since he left UP after UAAP Season 85. From March 2023 to January 2024, the pride of Talisay, Cebu suited up for the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japanese B.League. 

Though he showed glimpses of his vast potential and even won a B.League title with the Golden Kings, Tamayo was never quite able to take the next step in his evolution as a pro. He ended up leaving the team and, after some precious time under Tim Cone and the Gilas learning tree, joined the Changwon LG Sakers for the 2024-2025 KBL season.

As Tamayo got more and more comfortable in his new environment and ball club, his numbers flourished. During a glorious six-day span in January 2025, he hit a clutch basket to secure a 67-64 win over Goyang, then proceeded to score 37 against Seoul and 31 against Anyang.

On the same day that Tamayo got his second straight 30-piece, Cagulangan played his debut game for the Suwon KT Sonicboom. 

His stat line against Seoul doesn’t shout “rookie” at all—more like, “seasoned playmaker who’s really good at this.” 27 days after he won UAAP Finals MVP, Cagulangan tallied nine assists and five steals, along with seven points and four rebounds.

In his first KBL outing this past Saturday, Butuan’s finest wasted no time introducing himself: a high-impact player who makes life easier for his teammates and inflicts torment upon his opponents. The Sonicboom came up short against Seoul in Cagulangan’s debut, but two days later, they’d have a chance to get back to their winning ways. But it would have to be at the expense of Tamayo and the LG Sakers.

Giting at Tapang

While there are many things to appreciate in the LG Sakers-Sonicboom showdown—like, say, the breathtaking shooting form of the Korean snipers and the all-around play of the imports from North America—Pinoy fans will certainly take great interest in the growth of their two countrymen.

In this Monday evening slugfest, Tamayo showcased two skills that he was never quite associated with in the UAAP: playmaking and defense. His second-half performance included a more concerted effort to find fellow import Darryl Monroe down low. Midway through the fourth quarter, Tamayo whipped out a beautiful spin move and drop pass to Monroe for an easy bucket.

And, though the Tamayo of yesteryear wasn’t quite a Malick Diouf or a Zavier Lucero on the defensive end, the LG Sakers version forced stops both in the low post and the perimeter. Late in the third quarter, Tamayo found himself guarding Cagulangan, who was trying to push the pace before Changwon’s defense was fully set. Tamayo stood his ground and forced a bad pass from Cagulangan that resulted in a turnover.

Not to be outdone by his former Maroons teammate, Cagulangan reached deep into his bag to find his scoring and set up his teammates. Once upon a time, the 5-foot-9 spitfire guard struggled to translate his high school brilliance into solid UAAP play. After four seasons of relentless work in a Maroons jersey, he finally found the balance between cerebral facilitator and sensational scoring threat.

Just the way Cagulangan moves on the court is evidence of the transformation he’s undergone since his first year with UP. KBL fans who tuned in to the Seoul and Changwon games must have observed his measured movements as he dribbled around the perimeter—and, indeed, around his opponents. No defender could fully deny him from getting to certain spots on the floor; deceptively quick, he played with a different pace and ferocity than the other Sonicboom guards.

Tamayo and Cagulangan demonstrated their fearlessness when they decided to leave the comforts of home and hone their talents overseas. Both of them have promising futures, but on the night of January 12th, only one Fighting Maroon could lay claim to victory.

‘Di Rin Magbabago

Remember those UP games in which the Fighting Maroons got off to a slow start, then caught fire later in the game and finally showed up?

Taga-UP nga sila Carl at JD—cramming sila kagabi.

Neither player was anywhere close to spectacular in the first half. Tamayo tried to get inside position, but never truly demanded the ball in the low post. Even on the perimeter, his teammates didn’t swing the ball frequently to him. Cagulangan was dishing out some nice passes off double teams, but his teammates weren’t converting. On top of that, he finished the first half scoreless.

As if Goldwin Monteverde and Tom Chua gave them an earful via Zoom during the halftime break, Tamayo and Cagulangan finally played up to par in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Late in the third quarter, Tamayo went to a vintage up-and-under move to score down low against one of the Changwon bigs. Moments later, Cagulangan pulled out a double crossover special and swished a fadeaway.

Then came the fourth quarter—also known as the quarter of these clutch Maroons.

While Cagulangan was relegated to the bench at the start of the final period, Tamayo was forcing stops and showing active hands to get a steal—an impressive feat for a player who’d sat just four and a half minutes during the first three quarters.

The LG Sakers were leading by eight when Cagulangan came in with a little over four minutes left. Fresh off the bench, he came off an Ismael Romero screen, attacked the drop coverage of the Changwon defender, and found a cutting Romero for the layup.

And then, with 1:37 left and the LG Sakers’ lead back up to eight, Cagulangan pulled out the highlight of the game. In one fluid motion, he executed a crossover, spun to his right, showed the pump-fake, and banked in the shot as he absorbed contact. The crowd roared, the commentators yelled “WOAAHHH,” and the LG Sakers called timeout.

Tamayo, however, was having none of it. On the next possession, he caught a pass off a pick and roll as two Sonicboom defenders blitzed his teammate. Dribbling aggressively towards an all-too-familiar spot, Tamayo fired off a short baseline jumper. Swish.

That ended up being the last basket scored by either team. Who would’ve thunk it—the last two field goals scored in this 78-70 LG Sakers victory came courtesy of two Fighting Maroons. Carl Tamayo and JD Cagulangan are a long way from the sunflowers of Diliman, but their future in South Korea is bright as day.

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