Kevin Quiambao finally made his debut for the De La Salle Green Archers, Tuesday in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup.
And it was a first game to remember as the highly-touted rookie led EcoOil-DLSU to a 94-87 conquest of powerhouse Wangs-Letran at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Quiambao, fresh off his Gilas stint, delivered right away for the Green Archers with a near triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists in just 22:18 of floor time off the bench.
But more than the contributions that can be seen on the stat sheet, the 6-foot-4 sweet-passing big man wanted to focus more on his leadership role – even as a rookie.
(C) PBA Images
“Tinitake ko ‘yung responsibility to guide them to be a better player sa amin para maging better team kami,” said Quiambao on being one of the key cogs of this DLSU squad which just lost Justine Baltazar to graduation.
“May pressure and may expectations din pero hindi ko na iniisip yun. Ang iniisip ko kung paano lang ako makatulong sa team,” he added, knowing high hopes are set for him being the monster he was back in high school with National University-Nazareth.
Quiambao boasts of newly-found confidence despite not seeing UAAP action since Season 82, his last year with the Bullpups before transferring to Taft.
This as the 21-year-old all-around forward played important minutes with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup. There he normed 6.5 points, 4.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 23.3 minutes in four outings.
“For me sobrang laking experience na galing Gilas diretso ako dito sa La Salle na maishare ko sa kanila ‘yung experience ko playing for national team,” said Quiambao.
“I think nainspire ko sila buong game,” he continued as the Green Archers bounced back from a tough 73-51 defeat against Apex Fuel-San Sebastian to improve their record to 3-2.
Baltazar, who was DLSU’s rock for the past few years, has also been always present for Quiambao, relaying tips and advice.
“Lagi lang naman sa akin sinasabi ni Balti na masarap maglaro para sa La Salle and yung mga learnings naman na nakuha niya sa La Salle shinare niya naman sa akin,” said Quiambao.
The Green Archers will have less than 24 hours to recover as they will face Adalem-St. Clare tomorrow, July 27, 11 am, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
