Kevin Quiambao

Karl Kevin Argana Quiambao (born April 22, 2001) is a Filipino college basketball player for the De La Salle Green Archers of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). He has won championships in the juniors division and seniors division of the UAAP, and has played for the Philippine national team multiple times.

Early life

Quiambao's father and grandfather taught him how to play basketball, and he also looked up to the likes of Ryan Buenafe and Marc Pingris. He played in leagues in his barangay of Bayanan growing up.

High school career

Lyceum Junior Pirates

Quiambao was recruited to play for the Lyceum Junior Pirates after he was noticed at a barangay league. He didn't make the roster for two years, instead spending time with Lyceum's Team B. During this time, Coach LA Mumar encouraged him to pattern his game after Nikola Jokić.

NU Bullpups

In 2016, Quiambao tried out for the Bullpups, where Coach Goldwin Monteverde took him in. He often had workouts with NU Lady Bulldogs star player Jack Animam.

Season 81: First championship

Before the start of Season 81, NU successfully captured the ASEAN School Games title, in which they swept the competition in four games.

In a Season 81 win over the UST Tiger Cubs, Quiambao led the team with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. In the second round of eliminations, he had 10 points and seven rebounds in a win over the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. He then had a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds in a 51-point win over the UPIS Junior Maroons. They went on to sweep the second round. They met Ateneo again in the Finals, where in Game 1, he had 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead NU to the win. With Carl Tamayo, they combined for 29 points and 25 rebounds and limited Ateneo's star center Kai Sotto to just 16 points. In Game 2, he had an all-around performance of eight points, six boards, five assists, and two blocks, and NU won the juniors' championship for the first time since 2016.

Season 82: Second championship

Before the start of Season 82, NU successfully defended its ASEAN School Games title, in which they defeated Indonesia for the gold medal. During the season, they swept the elimination rounds, earning an outright spot in the Finals. The Bullpups then swept the FEU Baby Tamaraws in the Finals, with Quiambao contributing in Game 2 with eight points and seven rebounds. He was the only Bullpup on the Season 82 Mythical Team. He also finished third in the NBTC 24 rankings, with only San Beda forward Rhayyan Amsali and Tamayo ahead of him. His averages that season were 12.3 points, 9.8 rebounds (including 4.0 offensive rebounds per game), and 1.4 blocks per game in just under 23 minutes a game.

College career

On August 1, 2020, he committed to play for the De La Salle Green Archers. Since there was no UAAP basketball during the COVID-19 pandemic, Quiambao stayed in shape by playing in Filipino basketball leagues in Dubai. Prior to Season 85, he got to play with DLSU in the PBA D-League and in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

Season 85: Rookie of the Year

Quiambao had an ugly start to his UAAP career, as he only had five points on 2-of-13 shooting and three steals in a loss to the UP Fighting Maroons. He bounced back with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals against the UST Growling Tigers. In a loss to the UE Red Warriors, he had 15 points and six rebounds. The Archers bounced back from the loss with a win over the FEU Tamaraws, in which he had 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Against NU, he had 15 points and six rebounds, but missed a corner triple in the clutch, leading to their first loss to NU in seven years. He then had 20 points and nine rebounds in an overtime loss to the Adamson Falcons. They then lost a rematch with FEU in which he had 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. After spending time with Gilas, he returned to help La Salle break UP's seven-game winning streak with 18 points (13 in the fourth quarter alone) and nine rebounds. For that performance, he was voted Player of the Week. He was unable to play in a crucial game against Adamson as he had tested positive for COVID-19, and La Salle did not make it to the Final Four. He was awarded Rookie of the Year with averages of 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals. That season, he also competed in the 3x3 basketball event, and helped La Salle win the championship for that event.

Season 86: First championship

On October 28, 2023, in a win over NU, Quiambao recorded his first triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists while also contributing four steals. He became the first UAAP player since CJ Cansino in 2018 to record a triple-double, the first non-guard to do so, and the first Green Archer to ever record one. In a win over UE, he became the first player in the UAAP men's basketball Final Four era to have logged multiple triple-doubles in one season, as he recorded 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists while also providing four steals and two blocks. In Game 3 of the Finals, he put up 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks to lead DLSU to its first championship since 2016. He won Finals MVP with averages of 14.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and two blocks, becoming the first player since Arwind Santos in 2005 to win both the Season and Finals MVP in the same season.

National team career

Junior national team

Quiambao made his 3x3 debut during the 2019 FIBA 3x3 U-18 Asia Cup. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by China.

Senior national team

In 2021, Quiambao was invited to the Philippine national team training pool, but he declined the invitation to fulfill requirements needed for his Grade 12 studies. He accepted the invite the following year as Gilas was preparing for the third window of qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He played two games in the third window and four games in the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup, averaging a team-high 4.2 assists, with 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds. He was also on the roster for the fifth and sixth windows.

While playing for Strong Group Athletics at the 2024 Dubai International Basketball Championship, Quiambao received an offer to play for the United Arab Emirates national team as a naturalized player. Later that year, he played in the first window of the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers. Against Hong Kong, he finished with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes of action.

Player profile

In high school, he became known as a player who didn't need the ball to be effective, and a solid defender with his size. He has patterned his playing style after Nikola Jokić's as a playmaking big man, and has said that his goal is to become capable of playing not just the five position, but the four and three positions as well. He previously weighed in at 103 kilograms, but slimmed down to 93 kg to play better at the 3. Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone has lauded his versatility, as he could play more positions for the national team.

References

External links

Profile
at FIBA website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Quiambao, Kevin
2001 births
Living people
Centers (basketball)
De La Salle Green Archers basketball players
Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players
Filipino men's basketball players
People from Muntinlupa
Philippines men's national basketball team players
Philippines national 3x3 basketball team players
Power forwards