Carl Tamayo has been impressive so far in the Korean Basketball League and Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone is excited to have him back in the fold for the Nationals’ campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

The 24-year-old forward is averaging 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest – highlighted by a stretch where he dropped back-to-back 30 points for the LG Sakers.

He set a career-high 37 points against the Seoul Thunders – the highest scoring output by any Filipino so far in the KBL. He then fired 31 points the next game against Anyang.

“Karl is killing it in Korea at this point. So, we're excited about seeing all of his improvement while he's here,” Cone said of the young Gilas forward.

Tamayo’s improvements, according to Cone, should help Gilas alleviate the impact of the absence of Kai Sotto, who is expected to miss an extended period after undergoing surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“He's one of the guys who's going to help us replace Kai. He should probably be one of the guys getting major wins on the team if he continues to play at the level he's playing in Korea,” said Cone.

“That's one of the guys who's going to help out,” he added.

Tamayo is expected to join Gilas in its trip to Doha where the Nationals are slated to play Qatar, Egypt and Lebanon in preparation not only for the third and final window of the qualifiers but also for the tournament proper in August.

Aside from Tamayo, Cone is also looking forward to bringing in AJ Edu who has yet to play for Gilas since the veteran coach was formally named as the program head coach.

Edu is averaging 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds for Nagasaki in Japan B.League although his defensive presence with his 1.4 blocks per game along with his 6-foot-10 frame would be the biggest addition for Gilas without the 7-foot-3 Sotto.