KEVIN Quiambao going to Gilas Pilipinas duty means that La Salle won't have the reigning and defending Season and Finals MVP in its practices for the next two weeks.
But coach Topex Robinson sees it as an opportunity for the other guys to learn how to play without Quiambao, as the Green Archers gear up for the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball Final Four.
"Looking at the brighter side of things, I think this is a good time for us to see ourselves not having KQ, not being so dependent on him, which we've done a few times during the course of the elimination round," he said.
La Salle is going to the semifinals as the top seed, and with a two-week break in the offing, the team plans to go on another training camp in Indang, Cavite, as it aims to fine-tune its play before the bigger wars ahead.
READ: NU extinguishes La Salle's nine-game hot streak
"It's a time for us to really reflect on where we are and what we want to achieve moving forward, trying to really spend more time together, learning and growing as well, and getting to know our players," he said.
"We still have a lot of young guys and I think that's going to be an opportunity para naman mabigyan namin din sila ng tamang atensyon, especially now that it's going to be Final Four, it's going to be something close that we really need to work on also."
For flag and country - and then for school and community
As for Quiambao, Robinson sees it as another chance for the Muntinlupa native to better his game, as he gets exposed anew with more seasoned pros when the Philippines plays New Zealand and Hong Kong in the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers later this month.
"It's going to be a win-win. Physically, KQ's not going to be with us, but try to also imagine the sacrifice that he has to make. When we committed to that Gilas call-up in January, we know that the challenge is going to be him being away from his family, him being in the bubble, but there's so much to gain," he stated.
"Even Mason [Amos] was also called up as one of the staffers galing sa amin. That's one of our contributions to our national program. And sabi ko nga, minsan lang mangyayari yung opportunity na yun and it's really a no-brainer to bring them there."
He ended: "It's just a testament (to) what this program is all about. You know, you produce those kind of players that's going to get called up and yung experience nila there will benefit from it. So it's really an honor for KQ and DLSU to really represent Gilas in this window."
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