New motivation for Kevin Quiambao as he becomes a dad

MANILA, September 26 ------ La Salle superstar Kevin Quiambao is entering a new chapter in his life. Quiambao, 23, is now a first-time dad, he first announced in a cryptic post on X (formerly Twitter), tweeting a baby boy emoji. On Wednesday, he confirmed the development to reporters. 

The UAAP reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) said he was feeling blessed as he welcomed the birth of his son, although the UAAP standout still has his La Salle duties in mind. "It’s a blessing. 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," Quiambao told select reporters on Wednesday. 

Quiambao acknowledged the challenges he had to overcome as a new father and as a student-athlete. But he went on to share that they have the "freedom to do things they want" as permitted by their coaches. "Mahirap na i-balance ‘yung oras pero I’ll try my best na makapag-focus sa dalawang aspects: sa basketball aspect and then sa life aspect. Nandu'n naman ‘yung coaches na binibigyan nila 'ko ng freedom kung ano ‘yung gusto kong gawin," he said. 

Quiambao also refused to name the child as he wanted to let Faye, the mother, announce it. But his newborn son will definitely be an added motivation in his upcoming Season 87 games, he said. "Sa baby ko, sobrang saya ko talaga. Dadalhin ko lang ‘yung motivation na ‘yun para makatulong sa team sa upcoming games namin," Quiambao said. 

The first time he knew he was going to be a father, Quiambao said that he had mixed emotions, but the feeling was surreal. The forward also bared that he was sleepless coming into the match against the Far Eastern University (FEU). Still, he performed a double-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists to help La Salle score a bounce-back win against the Tamaraws, 68-62. "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," he said. 

Amid the star forward's commitments, coach Topex Robinson said they are prepared in case Quiambao misses matches. "Well, it’s one of the things that we’ve discussed prior to the season. We know that he’s gonna be in and out, sometimes he’s not gonna be in practice, sometimes he might even miss games but meron pa siyang commitment sa Gilas. So that’s part of what we prepared for," the La Salle mentor said. 

Source: news.abs-cbn.com