It started with a loss, ironically.
Kevin Quiambao believed the De La Salle Green Archers could win a championship as early as the first round of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.
Quiambao bared in Monday’s episode of The Game he had this realization after their first round encounter against eventual finals protagonist UP.
Though the Fighting Maroons edged them, 67-64, in that thriller at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on October 18, the season MVP felt La Salle became a more well-oiled machine after that.
“After nung natalo kami sa UP sa first round, nag-buy in kami sa system. Tiniis namin ‘yun dahil dami nagsabi na palubog team namin after that loss,” he said.
Indeed, the Green Archers looked more like one cohesive unit and swept the second round of hostilities. Quiambao, for one, set aside his ego and completely bought in.
“‘Yung trust sa isa't isa mas humigpit. ‘Yung relationship namin naging closer pa,” he added.
But the Green Archers would get nother reality check of sorts in the finals opener against UP.
“Nung before Game 1, I think masyado kaming overconfident based sa kilos namin. Nung game, every possession hindi kami makakuha ng open shots, hindi makuha tempo. Dinictate talaga ng UP,” he said.
It didn’t take long before the Green Archers regrouped and took Game 2 on the strength of some splendid shooting from the three-point area. To cut the long story short, La Salle went on to claim its first championship after seven years with a tour-de-force Game 3.
“‘Yung emotion is coming from over confidence. Pero after all that, sobra kaming nanggigil,” said the do-it-all forward, who was adjudged finals MVP.
Quiambao naturally deflected credit to the system and culture Topex Robinson built. Then again, some say La Salle's success is also because of Quiambao's on-court brilliance.
Whatever the case may be, it looks like Quiambao and company will run it back next season.
(MDB)