THE King Archer is signing off.
Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kevin Quiambao on Monday bid goodbye to Taft to chase his NBA dream starting with a stint for the Goyang club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) after an illustrious career with the De La Salle University Green Archers in the UAAP.
“My college career comes to an end,” said Mr. Quiambao on the heels of a tough exit as La Salle surrendered its throne with a 66-62 defeat against the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons in Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals.
“I will pursue my NBA dream and start my journey by playing professional ball in Goyang Sono Sky Gunners and developing my game even more.”
Mr. Quiambao, 23, has two years left in his playing eligibility but opted to turn pro with nothing more to prove after towing the Archers to their first title in eight years last season and winning back-to-back MVP and Mythical Team citations along with a Finals MVP award.
La Salle came close to completing a back-to-back feat in the thrilling Game 3 but to no avail as UP stormed back with a sweet vengeance for its second title in four years witnessed by 25,248 fans — the highest in attendance in UAAP basketball history — at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Still, the Gilas Pilipinas forward will head to Korea — and hopefully to the NBA down the road — with a bevy of lessons learned and awards to show in a bid to fly the flag high.
And he’s confident that the Archers would be just fine without him, especially with the eligibility of his Gilas teammate Mason Amos and NCAA juniors MVP Luis Pablo along with the backcourt duo of Kean Baclaan and Jacob Cortez.
In the end, Mr. Quiambao thanked his La Salle community, bosses, coaches and teammates led by head coach Topex Robinson in molding him into a ready and fully-equipped professional basketball player from here on.
“Thank you for three wonderful seasons, a lot of sweat, tears and sacrifices. Thank you for making me a great student-athlete. First of all, thank you God and my whole family. I can’t thank you enough for unwavering support. Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to reach my potential. I am so grateful and blessed to have you guys,” he beamed. — John Bryan Ulanday