By: Toby Pavon

“Hingi talaga ako (ng) pasensya sa mga humihingi sakin ng shout out niya at autographs,” said Milo Sandig, one of several people in the room with Kevin Quiambao at the middle of the night right before the UAAP Finals Game 2 between the DLSU Green Archers and UP Fighting Maroons. “Yun lang kasi moment niya na ma-clear out utak niya at makalimutan saglit na siya si KQ.”

There isn’t a UAAP fan today who wouldn’t know of the name “KQ”. He is the back-to-back season MVP, the Season 86 Finals MVP, and the subject of many a college basketball highlight reels and conversation pieces.

It wasn’t always this way.

His star began to rise as an NU Bullpup, playing alongside Carl Tamayo under the tutelage of Coach Goldwin Monteverde who would be celebrating opposite him after Game 3 of the UAAP Season 87 Finals. Most of the media spotlight was on his contemporaries, Kai Sotto from Ateneo, and his own teammate Carl Tamayo, who were constantly in battle for the title of best high school player in the Philippines. But keen eyes were already trained on him, noting his display of unique passing ability along with his tenacity on the boards.

When it came time to move up to the college ranks, KQ opted to part ways with his Bullpup teammates. Instead of committing to the UP Maroons together with Tamayo, he chose to play for the De La Salle Green Archers, where his legend began to grow.

Kevin always looked up to the bigs of his time. Growing up in Bayanan, Muntinlupa, he was heavily inspired by the play of Ram Panganiban, an NCAA standout that once struck fear into the hearts of high school teams. A young Kevin would often request, “Kuya Ram isang dunk naman!”

Starting Season 85, it was KQ’s turn to be looked up on and idolized by basketball-loving kids.

KQ’s rookie year in the seniors division saw him deliver as expected. 11.2 points per game, 6.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game were enough to earn him the Rookie of the Year title. Unfortunately he was sidelined due to Covid for the knockout game against Adamson which turned into the Jerom Lastimosa show.

The writing was on the wall, KQ is good as advertised, but how good can he get?

With a new coach in Topex Robinson and a renewed sense of brotherhood among his teammates, KQ was given the freedom and support for him to flourish. Playing along side NCAA standout Evan Nelle, KQ was their main weapon, he was still their MVP, but there was a load off his shoulders that Nelle and other veteran teammates were able to carry with him.

In Season 87, they were gone. The championship hopes of the DLSU community were placed on KQ’s shoulders.

Milo, a former NCAA athlete and long-time kuya to Kevin, often helps him get the support, and at times, peace he needs.

“Game 3 (we) visited an alumni’s house, did whatever, basta di mag mall,” recalled Milo. “Kasi every two steps may papicture eh. Kotse ko walang tint, maya’t maya may nagbababa ng bintana ‘uy idol!’ or ‘KQ!! LET’S GOO!!’”

The offseason leading into Season 87 was a colorful one for KQ. He caught the attention of foreign clubs while playing with Strong Group in Dubai, going as far as receiving naturalization offers from the United Arab Emirates.

Rumors even circulated that the New York Knicks was sending him invites to work out with them. The Knicks.

This was previously unheard of.

Basketball-loving Philippines has long yearned for a homegrown talent to make it to the biggest commercial league in the planet, the NBA. Be it Japeth Aguilar, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Kobe Paras, and most recently Kai Sotto, the narrative has always been about taking a chance, giving it all they have with the hopes of getting noticed.

They made big sacrifices going abroad, playing in leagues that were bigger than they could ever imagine, hoping to impress scouts while proving they can run with the “big boys.”

KQ’s situation is different. He was still playing in college when these rumors circulated– Rumors that an NBA team already has their sights on him. Immediately the basketball-crazy nation latched onto these rumors. This has been the most interest an NBA team has shown a homegrown Filipino athlete, and so they perceived it as the closest anyone has ever gotten. Just like that, the hopes and dreams of a nation were placed on KQ’s shoulders.

At the end of the day KQ is still human affected by human things. On the eve of Game 2 of the UAAP Finals, his lackluster Game 1 performance was nagging on him. His attitude was that people were counting on him, and he did not want to let them down. But at the end of the day, KQ is still human.

To relieve some of the pressure, he sought comfort in his mentors. Milo, Ram, people who knew ball, people who knew Kevin. No talk about the Finals, no talk about basketball except for “Stephen Curry: Underrated” playing on the big screen. Watching comedy videos, playing DOTA, they did anything and everything except worry about the coming game, because lord knows, KQ is well aware of the weight he has to carry, and that he’s trained for this moment.

“Beyond human” this is how Milo describes KQ’s work ethic. “Kaya when clutch time comes, bawal ka magsaya ng maaga kasi magtatranslate sa instinct niya yung lahat ng hardwork.”

KQ is definitely no stranger to making big shots in the clutch.

UP fans had a taste of this. In a game where the Maroons looked like they had it in the bag, where the championship came so close to their grasp that they could smell it, KQ went into his bag and hit the gutsiest back-to-back threes to give De La Salle the lead which they hung on to, forcing a Game 3.

In Game 3, unfortunate timing prevented KQ from pulling off his superhuman heroics for De La Salle, falling short of a back-to-back championship. Just like that, as the maroon confetti (metaphorical) hit the floor, the chapter of KQ’s legend in the UAAP came to a close.

Ahead of everyone else, KQ left the building, away from the Finals and onto the next step in his journey. After publicly announcing his decision to pursue his NBA dream starting with playing in the KBL, without a doubt, the whole basketball-loving Philippines will be watching him closely, rooting for KQ to become the first homegrown Filipino to play in the NBA.

Every Filipino basketball fan’s dream is KQ in the NBA.

For the people closest to him? They already know he’s going places. They’ve known about him taking the leap for a long time now. They just want Kevin to make the most of the opportunity given to him, take care of himself as he carries the expectations of the world on his shoulders and when all else fails, trust in the work he puts in, away from the spotlight.

“The championship is won in trainings and preparations when nobody is looking. Your trophy just gets revealed on stage” (Sandig, 2024)