MANILA, Philippines — Coach Tab Baldwin tipped his hat off to Kevin Quiambao after the latter spearheaded the De La Salle Green Archers past the former's Ateneo Blue Eagles, 74-61, in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena Sunday. The reigning MVP dazzled with 13 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals against four turnovers to send the Archers to the top with a 3-0 slate and the Eagles to the bottom with a 0-3 record. "When you play a box-and-one on somebody, that's one of the highest signs of respect that they can get, and we were happy with it. We felt he [Quiambao] shot 28 percent in the game, we felt we gave him a lot of problems, but he did those extra things, rebounding and finding his teammates," said Baldwin. "That's what a really good player does when their opponent tries to take them out of the game. So full credit to Kevin, he's nothing but a real force in the UAAP, and he's somebody that every team has to be especially prepared for." Baldwin went as far as saying that the 6-foot-6 Quiambao is right up there with former UAAP standouts Carl Tamayo, Thirdy Ravena, and Justine Baltazar. Aside from Quiambao's all-around game, Baldwin also noted the Gilas Pilipinas standout's ability to take over in crunch time and lead his team to the victory. "Kevin's just a really good player. He's elite in terms of UAAP standards from what I've seen over my eight years. He should be mentioned in the same breath as Carl Tamayo, Thirdy Ravena, Justine Baltazar. That's where he's at, especially in terms of when you're talking just about the Filipinos," said Baldwin. "But as you're alluding to, he doesn't just score, he reads the game well, he passes the ball well, and he's a leader in that team and we've already seen often this year both in pre-season tournaments that in crunch time he has the ability to step up, so he deserves the respect he's getting." Quiambao, for his part, stressed that he still has a lot to learn especially when it comes to his leadership role for the Green Archers. "I still have a lot of shortcomings because I'm new to this leadership role. We just need to do our best and control what we can. We should enjoy the moment because UAAP is a once in a lifetime thing only so you have to give your best every possession and moment."
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