After playing for the Philippines in the 2022 FIBA Under-16 Asan Championships, Filipino-American swingman Caelum Harris is now setting his sights on the senior national team.
While Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone has stressed that he intends to keep the current pool of players intact, Harris believes he has something to offer to the team.
“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,” said Harris, who first committed to the Gilas program in 2022 when he was just 16-years-old.
“My athleticism, my size, and I feel like, honestly, one of 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,” he added.
“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.”
Harris traces his roots to Cebu but grew up in Nashville, Tennessee.
Still, it was a “no-brainer” for him to represent the Philippines at the international level, thanks in large part to the stories from his grandmother that he heard while growing up.
“[From] my lola, growing up, I heard a whole bunch of stories about the Philippines,” he said. “And once I heard that, I kinda wanted to see her side of the family and see what was so crazy about these stories. Like, why is she telling me all this?”
“And when I went over there, I just fell in love with the Philippines,” he added.
Harris represented the Philippines in the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships in 2022, where he averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in six games. He also played for Fil-Nation in the 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals.
Harris has confirmed his full availability for Gilas for the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asia Qualifying window, the Southeast Games this year and the Asian Games in Japan next year.
“If Coach Tim needs me there, I’ll be more than happy for him to just give me a shout,” he said. “I’ve talked with my coaches, and they honestly don’t have an issue with me going over there to play.”
Now a player for Gulf Coast State College, Harris is also aiming to make it to the NBA. He will play in Florida for two years before going to Division 1 in Nevada for Coach Steve Alford.
He is expected to connect with former national team head coach Tab Baldwin during the holidays, but dismissed any notion that he will transfer to the Ateneo de Manila University.
“The US, the NCAA. That’s the priority,” said Harris’ agent, Jonathon Mines from Rise Sports Management.
Harris is currently averaging 4.1 points on 48% shooting including 33.3% from 3 along with 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in only 15 minutes per game this season at Gulf Coast State College.
