Filipino imports Juan Gomez de Liaño and Carl Tamayo, who are playing for the top two playoff teams Seoul SK Knights and Changwon LG Sakers, are bound for their first taste of postseason play in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
Two former UP Fighting Maroons are making strides in the Land of the Morning Calm.
Juan Gomez de Liaño and Carl Tamayo gear up for the Seoul SK Knights and Changwon LG Sakers, respectively, in the upcoming Korean Basketball League (KBL) playoffs.
The Knights (41-13) and LG Sakers (34-20) earned direct semifinal entries by virtue of finishing as the top two teams with the best records in the 54-game regular season play.
Seoul will face the winner of the best-of-five quarterfinal duel between the no. 4 Suwon KT Sonicboom and fifth-ranked Daegu KOGAS Pegasus.
Meanwhile, Changwon is set to meet the survivor of the Ulsan Mobis Hyundai Phoebus-Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters showdown.
The semifinals is also a best-of-five affair.
Gomez de Liaño is expected to make his playoff debut with the squad, after his first season with the Knights last year was cut short due to a finger injury.
The 25-year-old, despite playing limited minutes throughout the regular season, showed readiness as a back-up to main two-guard Kim Sun-hyung when necessary.
In 31 games, Juan GDL is averaging 3.1 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in almost nine minutes of play.
Seoul, who last won the title in the 2021-22 season, is bannered by the first domestic Most Valuable Player Ahn Young-joon and foreign MVP Jamill Warney.
Both players also earned the “Best 5” or Mythical Team selections as the Knights try to avenge their quarterfinal exit last season after getting swept by the eventual champions Busan KCC Egis.
Meanwhile, it's indeed a breakout year for Tamayo in his first season for the LG Sakers.
The Gilas Pilpinas cager emerged as a key contributor for Changwon, averaging 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists across 50 games this season.
Tamayo’s impressive numbers landed him a Mythical Team selection for the first time in his pro basketball career.
[ALSO READ: Carl Tamayo proves worth with KBL Mythical Team selection for no. 2 seed LG Sakers]
Gaining a semifinal ticket for the second straight season, the LG Sakers target to finish the job this time, after their exit in the Final Four at the hands of the Sonicboom previously.
After two runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2014, can Tamayo help deliver Changwon its first KBL title?