MATAPOS ang stint sa youth program, nakatuon ngayon si Filipino-American swingman Caelum Harris sa senior national team.
Bagama’t binigyang-diin ni Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone na nais niyang panatilihin ang kasalukuyang pool of players, naniniwala si Harris na may maiaalok siya sa koponan.
“I’m young. I’m hungry and honestly, I think that I kind of bring something else to the table that a lot of guys don’t bring,” sabi ni Harris, na unang pumasok sa Gilas program noong 2022 noong siya ay 16-anyos pa lamang.
“My best best capabilities on the floor is my defense. And I feel like I’m very energetic on both sides of the floor, and I’ve I think I kinda see myself as a good role player that could fit into any system, and kind of I can work, you know, with pretty much anybody,” dagdag pa niya.
“And I feel like at the end of the day, it’s gonna come down to who has the most heart, and I feel like there’s not a lot of people who put more heart into the game than I do.”
Si Harris ay nagmula sa Cebu subalit lumaki sa Nashville, Tennessee.
Kinatawan ni Harris ang Pilipinas sa FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships noong 2022, kung saan may averages siya na 10.3 points at 6.0 rebounds sa anim na laro. Naglaro rin siya para sa Fil-Nation sa 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
Kinumpirma ni Harris ang kanyang availability para sa Gilas sa FIBA World Cup 2027 Asia Qualifying window, sa Southeast Games ngayong taon, at sa Asian Games sa Japan sa susunod na taon.
“If Coach Tim needs me there, I’ll be more than happy for him to just give me a shout,” aniya. “I’ve talked with my coaches, and they honestly don’t have an issue with me going over there to play.”
Naglalaro ngayon para sa Gulf Coast State College, hangad din ni Harris na makapasok sa NBA.
Maglalaro siya sa Florida ng dalawang taon bago magtungo sa Division 1 sa Nevada para kay Coach Steve Alford.