Kevin Quiambao is a star athlete in his own right, but he never wants to stop learning and improving.
As a UAAP men’s basketball champion, the Season 86 Most Valuable Player and Finals MVP, and former Rookie of the Year, Kevin Quiambao must have heard it or read about it hundreds of times by now — he is arguably the best player in the league right now. In fact, some may even argue that he’s too good to be playing at the college level, hence the many rumors regarding his transition to a professional career that circulated in the lead-up to the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
Watching him in action speaks volumes for his case, but his numbers do a great job of it, too. At the end of the second week of the competition, he led the league in scoring with 18.3 points per game.
But even the great KQ is not a perfect player.
There have been moments in Season 87 where Kevin fell short. An example of this would be in the Green Archers’ loss to the UE Red Warriors where he missed two free throws that could have tied the game with 15 seconds remaining. On top of this, while he also typically scores the most for La Salle, he also accounts for a decent chunk of the team’s turnovers, and in certain games, he might even come up dry, such as their first loss of the season where he only shot 6-for-17.
However, Kevin will be the first to acknowledge these shortcomings. Just a casual scroll of his Instagram will reveal his favorite hashtag, #NotPerfect. Even his coach, Topex Robinson, who greatly relies on KQ, especially in DLSU’s more challenging games, takes these moments into account.
As Coach Topex shared after DLSU’s close win over NU to open Season 87, where he gave away five turnovers, “Kevin will win games for us and he will lose games for us.”
These mistakes push Kevin Quiambao, no matter how much the public praises him, to remain a lifelong student of the game.
Never settle
Kevin Quiambao knows how to get the DLSU fans off their chairs and on their feet — taking a risky shot or making a risky pass during a tight game to score a basket. Sometimes he’s successful and it sends the La Salle crowd into a frenzy, but other times, it can backfire and cost them.
But even in the latter moments, KQ is never discouraged from trying new things on the court.
When asked about the decision-making process he goes through whenever he cooks up these more risky moves, Kevin tells The GAME, “I think Coach’s system lang and yung mga moments na kailangan kong ipasa yung bola, may mga moments din na kailangan kong i-shoot, so it’s either you take the risk or lose the chance.
“May mga times na may magkamali ka dahil normal lang naman na magkamali sa laro, so [if you will take the risk], kailangan buo yung loob mo. Sa mga tight game, isa ako sa mga lider so binabasa ko lang ang sitwasyon, kung para mag-shoot ba o para i-pasa, so mamimili ka lang doon kung ano yung open na sitwasyon.“
For this Green Archer, it’s not about avoiding mistakes. Rather, it’s coming to terms with the fact that mistakes come with the territory of being an athlete, reading the situation, relying on the system, and making a confident decision.
It doesn’t always work out. For instance, in DLSU’s rivalry game against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, Quiambao gave up several turnovers from passing the ball to his teammates who were unprepared. Coach Topex gave him some flak for it, but afterward, he recovered with a big three-pointer that sent him and his coach into an emotional moment on the court.
This is another great thing about Kevin Quiambao. His mistakes only fuel him to come back as a better player, and it starts during training.
“I think lahat ng intaginbles kailangan i-work on, [and I need to] lead by example, so ‘pag time ng training namin, I lead by example. Ako yung pinaka-una sa gym minsan, and then ako yung pinaka huling lalabas dahil dun pa lang sa pinapakita mo, mamo-motivate yung teammates mo na kung kaya ko, kaya din nila,” he explains.
But even after games where Kevin Quiambao is undoubtedly the best player on the court, right after he relishes a win, he still finds areas he can work on.
“I think shooting, mga rebounding, mga pasa, mga sitwasyon na kailangan kong i-improve dahil madaming mas magaling, kailangan mo lang i-point out yung weaknesses mo so saan ka mahinain, dun ka mag-work.”
Another instance that showcased this side of his mindset as an athlete was after his clutch performance that sealed DLSU’s win against NU this season. After leading his team to victory, he shared, “So far, lahat sa amin madami pang kulang, especially me, madami pa akong mapagawa dahil bago pa lang ako sa role ng leadership, pero kailangan lang namin gawin lagi yung best every time and control kung ano yung mako-control namin and then enjoy lang sa moment, kasi once in a lifetime itong UAAP so every possession, every moment, bigay yung best mo.“
In any given moment, KQ always reminds himself to never settle and to never stop learning, because there are always lessons to take from every moment on the court.
As he humbly reminds himself, “Player ako, merong mas matanda sa’kin, merong mas may experience sa’kin, so [I remind myself to] be a student of the game.”
Banner image from UAAP Media Bureau.