By MARK REY MONTEJO
Kevin Quiambao is set to embark on a new journey in his basketball career as he takes his act to the Korean Basketball League (KBL) with the Goyang sono Skygunners.
The King Archer took to social media on Monday, Dec. 16, announcing his plans to take his act overseas – and hopefully in the NBA – after forgoing his final year with De La Salle.
“With that being said, my college career comes to an end,” Quiambao wrote.
“[And] [I] will pursue my NBA dream and start my journey by playing professional ball in Goyang Sono SkyGunners and developing my game even more,” added the young star.
The 23-year-old forward made the announcement after the Green Archers’ heartbreaking 66-62 loss to the UP Fighting Maroons in the sudden death of the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball finals last Sunday, Dec. 15.
With his decision, Quiambao is the latest Filipino who took the path to overseas following the footsteps of Gilas teammate Carl Tamayo, SJ Belangel, Juan Gomez de Liano, Migs Oczon and many more.
There’s no detail yet about his contract or when he will be playing as the season gets going for the Skygunners, who are currently dead last in the KBL standings with a 5-13 card.
In his heartfelt brief message, the Gilas youngster expressed his gratitude to the whole La Salle squad including his coach Topex Robinson, who helped him improve his game.
“First of all Thankyou God and my whole family. Thankyou Boss Mans, Justice, Boss JPT, Boss Raffy, Boss Terry, Coach Topex and Coach Migs Aytona, I love you and thank you for unlocking and unleashing KQ,” Quiambao continued.
“To my Teammates and the whole coaching staff and management, I can’t thank you enough for your unwavering support,” he added. “Thank you for believing in me and pushing me to reach my potential. I am so grateful and blessed to have you guys. Animo.”
The 6-foot-7 versatile cager bannered the Taft-based crew for three seasons where he copped the Rookie of the Year, two-time Mythical Five, one Finals MVP, and a championship last season to give the Archers their 10th overall crown.
His two straight Best Player of the year award alone, brought Quiambao in UAAP lore, joining some of the past collegiate superstars who eventually made a mark in the professional scene.
This year, Quiambao led the Archers to a topseed finish in the preliminaries then beat Adamson in the semifinal, but their momentum faded as they eventually bowed to the Maroons in three games.
