The blessings continued for Kevin Quiambao moments after Strong Group Athletics finished second in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship.
The reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player and all-Dubai Tournament member was named as one of the 12 players who will be part of Tim Cone’s Gilas Pilipinas pool for this Olympic cycle.
Having young guns like Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, AJ Edu, Kai Sotto, and Carl Tamayo to complement the PBA players is something that Cone envisions will not only win games now but also create a bright future for the program.
“I was telling Kevin that right now, you guys are the youngest guys on the team. That’s what we wanted, a group of vets and youth,” said Cone on the Big Story.
“I’m a big believer that you can’t get better unless you have younger players who can get better as a team. However, if you want to win right away, you need veterans. That’s the combination that we are putting together.”
Quiambao, who stands at 6-foot-6, will be vital to Cone’s team.
With how basketball has evolved into a positionless game, the winningest head coach in PBA history sees Quiambao playing multiple positions for his team.
“This kid is versatile. He asked me if he was going to play three or four, and I said, ‘You are going to play one, two, three, or four. Wherever we need you because you have the versatility in your game, and we can use you wherever we need you to be.
“One of the things I’ve learned through the years is versatility is crucial for a team. You have to be able to play in different styles and different ways. We have the opportunity to play Kai and June Mar together to be really big, and we have the opportunity to play AJ Edu at the center position and be quicker,” Cone continued.
“We can play KQ at one, at four, or at three, and the same thing with Justin Brownlee coming. So, it gives us versatility, and we can adjust to the teams that we play.”
Moreover, the Ginebra head coach is excited about what lies ahead for Quiambao, seeing him as a pillar for the program for years to come.
“I was telling Kevin, you are the young guy right now, but in four years, you won’t be the young guy anymore. He’s going to be four years older, four years smarter, and he is going to play international ball for four years along with wherever he goes — either the PBA or Japan or, who knows, the New York Knicks, he will only get better,” said Cone.
“That’s the idea of getting a player like that.”
