Bong Quinto is having a spectacular season in his final tour of duty with the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights.
After suffering defeats at the hands of the San Beda Red Lions and the Lyceum Pirates, the 21-year-old Letran lifer is playing like a man on a mission, posting back-to-back triple-doubles to help the Knights end the round with two straight wins.
With his stellar numbers, Quinto should be one of the top players in the statiscal race for the NCAA Season 94 Seniors Basketball Most Valuable Player plum. But the 6-foot-3 forward is not thinking about this, seeing it as a distraction for the ultimate prize: the NCAA championship.
“Sakin naman, ang goal namin dito, nung 2015 wala namang naging awardee sa amin pero nakuha namin yung championship. Yung goal namin ngayon, di yung awards. Extra n alang yan kung deserving ako or kung sino naman sa amin,” said the graduating forward.
“Ang main goal ay yung championship, makuha mo man yung award, ang matatandaan talaga diyan ay yung championship. “
Besides being in his final year, Quinto is making up for lost time.
This lost time stems from the Knights being stubborn to adjust to third-year head coach Jeff Napa.
Napa, who took over the Knights from Aldin Ayo back in 2016, has yet to reach the Final Four with Letran. The decorated UAAP Juniors Basketball champion coach has figured in numerous off-court drama with the team that led to a dip in their performance on the court.
But three years later, Quinto admits that Napa is a joy of a coach to have.
“Sa totoo lang, dapat nung simula nung dumating si coach Jeff dapat andun na talaga. Kaso naging mahaba yung adjustment, two years kami nag-adjust,” Quinto lamented. “Ngayon, yung team namin, buong buo na kami.”
Now that the Knights stand united, Quinto declared that it’s time to bring the glory back to Letran.
“Nagaagree naman ako sa sinasabi ni coach Jeff na andito na kami. Ibabalik namin kung ano talaga yung Letran namin.”
