Kevin Quiambao, the UAAP Season 85 Rookie of the Year, is having a much better sophomore year.
After four games in Season 86, Quiambao is leading De La Salle University, with stats of 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.25 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.0 block in 25 minutes.
For comparison, he averaged 11.23 points, 6.54 rebounds, 3.23 assists, and 1.08 steals in his rookie year.
The 6-foot-8 flashy forward credited the team’s dietitian, Tim Nutrition, and strength and conditioning coaches Migs Aytona and Gelo Vito for his improvement.
“First of all, sobrang thankful ako kay Coach Tim Nutrition at sa strength and conditioning coaches namin sina Coach Migs Aytona at Coach Gelo Vito,” said Quiambao on Wednesday after the Green Archers’ 71-58 win over Adamson University.
“Sobrang laking tulong nila dahil talagang on point lahat, lahat ng nutrition, recovery, ganon.”
Quiambao has been putting in the work since the offseason, and the results have been very notable. He has also showcased his fit physique on his social media accounts.
Having their dietitian and strength and conditioning coaches, the National University Nazareth School product is confident that they will be even more helpful in the latter parts of the three-month tournament.
“Sobrang crucial nila sa team namin. Sila yung mga workhorse ng team, yung simple lang sa gilid pero sobrang laking tulong,” said Quiambao about TimNutrition, Aytona, and Vito.
“In the long run, sobrang laking tulong nila dahil alam mo kung ano pang maipipiga mo sa araw-araw mo. Yung program naman nila mula Day 1 hanggang dulo ay on target lahat,” added the ‘point forward.
“Sobrang pasasalamat ko sa kanila, nakikita naman sa physique namin, lahat naman kami sobrang nag-improve mula noong nakaraang season.”
Despite La Salle being at 3-1, currently in second to third spots with National University, Quiambao is still not satisfied with his performance, knowing he can do even more.
One thing the 22-year-old second-year player has always criticized himself for is his shot selection. In four outings, he has only made 20 out of his 64 attempts from the field, which is good for just 31.25 percent.
“Motivation ko lang is one percent better everyday. Yung quote ko lang lagi na nakalagay sa cellphone ko ‘another day, another opportunity,’ hindi man maging perfect lahat, kailangan mo lang mag-show up kahit medyo masakit katawan mo, kahit feeling mo medyo mabigat ka,” he said.
“So far, sobrang layo pa sa gusto kong maabot dahil I think nasa 85 percent pa lang kami sa pag-peak sa program nila Coach Tim. Can’t wait for more pa,” said Quiambao regarding how satisfied he is with his play.
