Kevin Quiambao was a revelation for Gilas Pilipinas in its 2025 FIBA Asia Cup campaign.
The former De La Salle University star proved that he can get his prolific numbers even against Asia’s best, as the 6-foot-5 forward put up 12 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 steals in five games for the Philippines.
He even had a 17-point, four-rebound outing against World No. 7 Australia despite their 84-60 quarterfinals loss, with the Muntinlupa native giving the Philippines a much-needed spark off the bench.
Unfortunately, the Boomers were just too much to handle for the Nationals, and Quiambao acknowledged the hardships that Australia brought them.
“We had a hard time executing our system,” said the two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player.
“We couldn’t buy a basket. Right from the start, they were having a run.”
“They had three early three-pointers so we had a hard time catching up. The system was not there, our shots weren’t falling. For me, as a young guy, as much as I wanted to execute the system and follow our game plan, it didn’t work the whole game,” he added.
However, Gilas’ exit does not taint how Quiambao rose to become one of the Philippines’ key guys moving forward.
“He’s battling for his position, he’s battling for his minutes, and he’s winning those battles,” said Gilas mentor Tim Cone.
“He’s becoming a vital cog, another guy we can throw in there with Justin [Brownlee] and Dwight [Ramos].”
Aside from the Australia game, Quiambao also impressed in the Philippines’ epic victory against Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday, August 12, and he was also one of the few bright spots against Chinese Taipei in their opening day loss to Taipei.
For the Goyang Sono Skygunners forward, it is now just a matter of learning from all the lessons they got in their Jeddah trip, and translating it when Gilas returns to train later this year for the upcoming 2027 World Cup qualifiers which start in November.
“On to the next one,” he said.
“And we will keep our heads high for the next one. It’s still a great learning experience for us.” (ABS-CBN News)