HANDS down the best player in the league, prized La Salle big man Kevin Quiambao has all reasons to be a little arrogant.
Instead, he paid credit to people who helped him reach a big milestone.
“Unang-una, thank you Lord na nakuha ko itong award na ito,” Quiambao said yesterday after he was officially feted as the MVP of the 86th UAAP basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “Credit sa lahat ng mga teammates ko, coaching staff, at sa lahat ng boosters ng La Salle.”
The 6-foot-7 Quiambao, 22, become the fifth Green Archer to win the league’s highest individual plum after Jun Limpot (1989, 1990, 1992), Mark Telan (1996 and 1997), Don Allado (1998, 1999), and Cameroonian Ben Mbala (2016, and 2017).
A native of Muntinlupa City, Quiambao also swept the three special awards–Acer of the Season, PSBankable Player of the Season, and Hyundai Stargazer X Exceptional Player of the Season and won a total of P200,000.
Quiambao, last season’s Rookie of the Year, was miles ahead in the MVP race.
He averaged 16.71 points, 10.86 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.93 steals per game in the eliminations, amassing 97.0 statistical points.
Joining Quiambao in the Mythical Team were University of the East’s Noy Remogat, La Salle’s Evan Nelle, University of the Philippines’ Malick Diouf, and Far Eastern University’s L-Jay Gonzales.
Remogat, a sophomore guard, posted averages of 16.5 points, 7.86 assists, and 2.0 steals per game, accumulating 85.929 SPs.
Nelle, a member of the NCAA Mythical Team in 2019 when he was still with San Beda and now in his final year with La Salle, had 77.538 SPs with stats of 11.31 points, 6.85 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per contest.
Season 85 MVP Diouf secured the fourth spot with 74.769 SPs after averaging 12.08 points, 13.23 rebounds, 1.62 blocks, and 1.15 steals per game.
Gonzales, another graduating senior, achieved 66.857 SPs with averages of 14.79 points, 7.79 rebounds, 3.14 assists, and 2.0 steals.
Remogat, Nelle, and Gonzales are first-time members of the All-UAAP Five, while Diouf, the Season 84 Finals MVP, made the team for the second straight season.
