AFTER eight seasons, a Filipino has emerged as the UAAP’s best cager.
La Salle prized big man Kevin Quiambao bagged the 86th season basketball tournament MVP award in runaway fashion yesterday based on the final and official statistical point rankings released by the league.
The 6-foot-7 Quiambao, the reigning Rookie of the Year, totaled 97 SPs to capture the coveted plum and become the first homegrown player to do it since former Ateneo star Kiefer Ravena was named MVP in 2014 and 2015.
After Ravena, imports captured the award in the next six seasons — Cameroonian Ben Mbala for the Green Archers (2016 and 2017); Nigerian Bright Akhuetie for University of the Philippines (2018); Benin’s Soulemane Chabi Yo for University of Santo Tomas (2019); Ivory Coast’s Ange Kouame for the Blue Eagles (2021) and the Fighting Maroons’ Malick Diouf last year.
Quiambao averaged 16.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.9 steals in 14 games for La Salle, which wound up as the second seed with an 11-3 mark.
Don Allado was the last local Archer who earned the MVP hardware in 1998 and 1999.
University of the East guard Rey Remogat finished a distant second with 85.929 SPs with norms of 16.5 points, 7.9 assists, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals as the Red Warriors finished the eliminations with a 4-10 record for sixth.
Quiambao’s teammate, Evan Nelle, finished third with 77.538 SPs, while Diouf ranked fourth with 74.779 SPs.
Far Eastern University’s L-Jay Gonzales rounded out the top five with 66.857 SPs after the Tamaraws ended with a 3-11 slate for seventh.
UE big man Precious Momowei led all freshmen in sixth with 66.769 SPs, but he was disqualified for the Rookie of the Year honors after being suspended for one game for committing two unsportsmanlike fouls.
Instead, Fighting Maroons’ Francis Lopez snared the top rookie plum with 60.357 SPs, good for seventh in the MVP race.
The Growling Tigers’ Nic Cabañero placed eighth with 60.143 SPs, while the National University pair of Kean Baclaan and Jake Figueroa finished tied for ninth with 59.5 SPs.
