SACRAMENTO Kings player development coach Jimmy Alapag said it was unfortunate he wasn’t able to help Kevin Quiambao in his bid to make it to the NBA Summer League this year.
In an interview with Noli Eala in the Power and Play program, Alapag clarified he only had ‘very brief’ conversations with Quiambao about his quest to play in the NBA Summer League after he went to the US last July for workouts.
Unfortunately, Alapag said that when the 24-year-old Quiambao reached out to him sometime between late June and early July, the Kings' NBA Summer League roster was pretty much set.
READ How Kevin Quiambao's obsessive work ethic drives his NBA dreams
“This isn’t blaming Kevin at all, I do think whoever is helping him should have probably planned better in terms of reaching out to different NBA teams and front offices and saying, 'We have this unbelievable young Filipino talent, he’s been an import around Asia and Korea, he’s one of the best amateur players here at home. How can we get an opportunity for him to be seen possibly by your coach, your front office?'” said Alapag.
“And then, you know, that kind of starts the momentum for Kevin to hopefully get a chance to work out with an NBA team, whether it's us or any other NBA organization. And if he impresses, now the next step is, ‘Hey, why don’t you come and maybe we’ll have you be on our Summer League team.”
“There’s a very direct process to how that all works. And I felt bad that I wasn't in a position to help him because when he reached out and said, ‘Hey, I’m here in Sacramento. I’d love to work out and try to make the team.’ The team had already been put together. So that was the unfortunate part.”
Alapag recounted his conversations with Quiambao which started back in January where KQ told him that he is about to go to the US and seek a spot in the NBA Summer League.
During their conversations, the former Gilas Pilipinas captain said he was under the impression that Quiambao’s camp had already arranged the workouts with NBA teams.
“He had reached out to me back in January of this year. And he just said, ‘Hey, coach.’ And I reached out to him calm, and I told Kevin, ‘First and foremost, Congrats on all your success with the MVP at La Salle and displaying your talent in Korea.’ I said, I think it's great. I said ‘best of luck to you, whatever that next step is.'
"And he expressed to me, he said, 'Hey, coach, I have workouts in the NBA, have NBA workouts in the summertime in June.' And that’s all he said. So I was under the impression that whoever is a part of Kevin and his team that they had spoken to other NBA teams and front offices and had arranged for him to be seen.
“He reached out later on in May and said, ‘Hey coach, I'm gonna be in Sacramento. So again, it was very brief. I said, ‘Hey, Kevin, when you come to Sacramento, please reach out.’ And when he finally reached out, this was end of June, I believe, or early July. And by this time, the draft was at the end of June. Our front office and coach Doug Christie and some other coaches had already had an idea of who our Summer League staff, our Summer League team was going to be.
COLUMN: What KQ needs to get a shot at NBA Summer League
"And when Kevin came out, it was like, ‘Hey coach, I'm ready for any workouts. I hope I can try to make the team.’ And at that point, being an assistant on the Summer League staff for one, I don’t have any say as far as who and who isn’t on our roster,” said Alapag.
Nevertheless, even after the failed bid, Alapag urged KQ to continue with his work to achieve his aspirations, whether it’s the NBA Summer League or the NBA itself.
“He’s young. And I commend him for seeking out these opportunities here, Summer League, G League, potentially in the NBA in the future. He just has to continue to keep working so that when that time comes when he does get an opportunity that not just physically but mentally, he’s as sharp and he’s the best Kevin Quiambao that he can be because it will take that and probably more,” Alapag said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
