De La Salle University forward Kevin Quiambao is already making a clear case for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 men’s basketball tournament Most Valuable Player award.
His inspired performance of late was highlighted by a rare second triple-double, further boosting his chances of claiming the highest individual award after being named Rookie of the Year last season.
Quiambao’s all-around brilliance in the past week that propelled the Green Archers into the Final Four made him the hands down choice to bag a second straight Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Men’s Player of the Week for the period of 4 to 12 November.
The sophomore forward delivered another sensational triple-double of 17 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists to go with four steals and two blocks in La Salle’s 86-76 win over University of the East.
He became the first player in modern league history to register more than one triple-double in a single season.
Quiambao previously scattered 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists in La Salle’s 88-78 revenge win over National University for the division’s first triple-double since 2018.
One of the Green Archers’ biggest breakthroughs in the second round came after its 88-79 victory over University of the Philippines which saw Quiambao drop 22 points, 12 rebounds, and three steals.
La Salle claimed its ticket back to the semis after beating Adamson University, 69-57, as the 22-year-old ace collared a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The MVP frontrunner has been nothing short of consistent in the Green Archers’ twice-to-beat bid, something that he constantly insists he owed to the coaching staff’s system.
“Kevin is really a blessing to have for coaches, you have a coach’s dream and he’s one of those guys that I’m so fortunate to coach. He and these guys just make my life easier,” La Salle coach Topex Robinson said.
“One good thing about Kevin is he makes everybody around him look good. That just shows how much he really cares for this team more than obviously getting that individual award or winning a championship.”
Quiambao averaged 16.7 points, 14.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.7 steals in the past three games as La Salle stretched its winning streak to six and became the unanimous choice of print and online scribes.
He edged out NU’s Jake Figueroa, Ateneo’s Joseph Obasa, and UP’s CJ Cansino for the weekly honors.
