Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Rutgers 2025 Men's Basketball Commit Lino Mark Making His Mark

The Scarlet Knights' future point guard drops 32 points for Fil-Am, dominating the NBTC Tournament in the Philippines
John Catapano|
Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Lathan Sommerville (24) and USC Trojans forward Rashaun Agee (12) fight for the ball at tipoff Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in a first round game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament between the USC Trojans and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The USC Trojans defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 97-89.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights center Lathan Sommerville (24) and USC Trojans forward Rashaun Agee (12) fight for the ball at tipoff Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in a first round game at the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament between the USC Trojans and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The USC Trojans defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 97-89. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Incoming Class of 2025 Rutgers point guard Angelino Mark took part in the Smart-National Basketball Training Center Tournament (NBTC) in the Philippines last week. Mark scored 32 points in the championship game for Fil-Am Nation Select, an organization created in 2019 for American players with Filipino lineage to showcase their skills in basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and volleyball.

Former NBA coach and Lakers great Byron Scott guided the team and spoke to the media afterwards.

"It's always hard when you're playing against teams that have been together for years and you bring a team together that's been together for a week. It makes your job that much harder," Scott told reporters.

Despite the challenges, the Fil-Americans swept the tournament, with Mark dominating the stat sheet, averaging 26 points and nine rebounds per game. For his efforts, he earned the Ato Balodato Award for Most Outstanding Player for Division 1.

"That was the goal, to come out here and be the best player I can be, be the best player. Playing for the team, playing for the win," Mark told the media after the game when asked if he expected to receive the award.

Mark has the same Filipino heritage as Dylan Harper, who helped recruit him to the Scarlet Knights. Lino's mother, Jocelle Maliwanag, not only has similar Filipino roots but interestingly shares the same birthday as Dylan Harper's mother, Maria Harper.

Maliwanag fell in love with Rutgers during a visit in 2024 with Lino, and was highly impressed with the diversity on campus. Mark's Rutgers roots run deep. His uncle is actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, a Scarlet Knight alum. With relatives in Newark and Brooklyn, Lino is excited about coming to the East Coast for his freshman year this fall and helping rebuild a winning culture at Rutgers after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

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John Catapano
JOHN CATAPANO

John Catapano graduated from Rutgers in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, covering the women’s field hockey and soccer teams for the campus paper, The Daily Targum. After college, he moved to Los Angeles, got a job at Walt Disney Television, and has worked in media ever since. John currently works with the Wasserman Media Group in their Brooklyn, NY office, collaborating with brands, influencers, and athletes across the globe. When the pandemic struck in 2020 and Catapano began working remotely, he resumed writing by contributing to a Rutgers fan blog. He covered various sports, highlighted human interest stories, and focused on topics that Scarlet Nation wanted to discuss. It’s never easy being a Rutgers fan, but with over 500,000 alumni living worldwide and a passionate fanbase, covering the Scarlet Knights is always engaging.

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