There was a time during the offseason when Kevin Quiambao could have left the DLSU Green Archers. Quiambao was reportedly getting offers from professional teams abroad and there was even talk of him being naturalized by the United Arab Emirates.
With the way UAAP Season 86 ended for him, you couldn’t fault him if he walked away as a champion. Unlike other schools, La Salle also lets their players choose their own fate, more so when they already gave a championship to the school.
But then, Quiambao quickly quelled the concerns the Lasallian community may have had by announcing his return before 2023 even ended. In fact, the signs were already there even before the conclusion of Season 87.

The buildup to Season 87 saw a leaner and meaner Quiambao; his game was much sharper and it seemed he didn’t need to do much to contribute much. His shooting was much better, especially when he was dialed in. As Quiambao and the Green Archers were beating college and professional teams both here and abroad, it was clear that the 23-year old was primed to be a back-to-back UAAP MVP awardee.
Once Season 87 rolled in, those assumptions held true. Quiambao had flashes of greatness, but it was obvious that he was trying to get his teammates going. It worked for the most part, but La Salle’s loss to the UE Red Warriors was a wakeup call. Not only did he need to do more, but Quiambao needed to take over early on.
So, the next three games saw Quiambao average 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals, with Quiambao saving his best for the UP Fighting Maroons.
Quiambao took over as early as the first quarter, with his 3-pointers hurting the Fighting Maroons’ cause. Despite their efforts in putting pressure on him from the 3-point line, he simply extended his range. UP packed the paint against Quiambao knowing he loved to make nifty passes inside, but they were no match for his timely midrange jumpshots.
When he wasn’t scoring, Quiambao was moving the ball around even if it didn’t lead to an assist. The gravity he was drawing was evident and when it moved well enough, an opening always presented itself.
With the win, Quiambao helped DLSU finish the first round of Season 87 in first place at 6-1 instead of third place at 5-2. The Green Archers will also take on UE next Saturday, a matchup that could have Final Four implications.
Through the first round, Quiambao leads the UAAP in points (16.4) and 3-pointers made (2.3) per game (16.4), is third in the league in assists (5.4) and free throws made (2.7) per game, and is tied for fifth in both rebounds (8.9) and steals (1.3) per game. The shooting percentages have not been pretty even if Quiambao is eighth in the UAAP in 3-point shooting (31.4 percent) and free throw shooting (70.4 percent), but such is life when you’re doing the heavy lifting.
All things considered, Quiambao is the MVP frontrunner and he’s on pace to finish with back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP awards. In fact, he broke the seven-year drought of UAAP MVPs not winning the championship in the same season. Coincidentally, Ben Mbala, the last back-to-back UAAP MVP, also played for the Green Archers.
JD Cagulangan, Forthsky Padrigao, and Mo Tounkara are Quiambao’s closest competitors, but the former has already missed two games and both Padrigao and Tounkara may need Herculean second half performances to unseat Kevin Quiambao. Quiambao surely wouldn’t mind losing the regular season MVP award, though, if it means he’s coming away with another UAAP championship.
