KEVIN Quiambao has won it all from high school to college, but it wasn’t until Tuesday evening when he won his biggest prize in life just yet.
UAAP’s reigning and defending Season and Finals MVP is now a father to a baby boy, as his partner Faye gave birth less than 24 hours before La Salle’s 68-62 win over a hapless FEU side.
READ: La Salle returns to winning ways after repulsing FEU
Sleepless and all, Quiambao still had a near-triple-double performance in him as he fired 12 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
Of course, he’s now the Green Archers' leader on the court as well as their leading scorer. And if such dual roles aren’t enough, he’ll now take on his most important responsibility yet as dad and husband.
Sleepless nights never felt better
It's far from ideal for any athlete to not have enough rest before game days — not even for a top-caliber player like KQ.
But he didn’t mind having to bear the weight of restlessness, as it was all worth it in the end, on and off the court.
“Surreal feeling. Halos hindi ako nakatulog, to be honest. ‘Di ko ma-explain. Sobrang saya ko. Worth it lahat ng pinagpuyatan ko kasi coming to this game, wala kong tulog. Babawi na lang ako ng tulog,” Quiambao said.
“Sobrang blessed ko lang sa puntong ‘to na nakakapaglaro ako at the highest level. Ine-embrace ko ‘tong bagong journey na tatahakin ko. Focus ako sa season and then focus ako sa pag-aalaga sa bata."
Even more, the first-time father knows it’ll just be the first of many more sleepless nights.
And as was the case in every single game he’s played in his career to date, best believe he’s up for what will be his greatest challenge yet.
“Mahirap na i-balance ‘yung oras, pero I’ll try my best na makapag-focus sa dalawang aspects: sa basketball and life. Nandun naman ‘yung coaches na binibigyan ako ng freedom kung ano ‘yung gusto kong gawin," he said.
Quiambao added: “Added motivation para sa’kin ‘to. Ang pinaka-inspirasyon ko naman si God. Sa baby ko, sobrang saya ko talaga. Dadalhin ko lang ‘yung motivation na ‘yun para makatulong sa team sa upcoming games namin.”
‘Walang iwanan’
It’s no secret that KQ shares a special bond beyond the game with La Salle head coach Topex Robinson.
In Quiambao's words, Robinson's been nothing short of a friend and a second father figure.
But what he considers to be the most priceless piece of advice his mentor gave him is one that gave him all the re-assurance he’ll ever need: ‘walang iwanan.’
“Every time, every game, every day, every practice, lagi nila kong ina-advice-an na enjoy-in mo ‘yan at i-embrace mo ‘yang bagong journey. Nandito lang siya palagi para sa’kin,” said Quiambao.
“Lagi niya kong sinasabihan na hinding-hindi niya ko iiwan kahit anong mangyari.”
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