La Salle great Allado rooting hard for Kevin Quiambao to win UAAP MVP

MANILA, Philippines – One of the greatest La Salle Green Archers of all time, Don Allado is hoping that another La Salle power forward will grab the Most Valuable Player (MVP) plum this UAAP season. 

Allado, a bruising 6-foot-6 big man who won back-to-back MVP plums during his stint with the squad, said he is cheering for current La Salle big man Kevin Quiambao to grab the UAAP Season 86 MVP. 

Quiambao is currently the frontrunner in the MVP race, bolstering his bid with two triple-doubles this season. 

He also steered the Green Archers back to the UAAP finals, with the team riding on a nine-game winning streak. 

“I do hope [Quiambao wins the MVP.] He is playing tremendously well, I think he will get the MVP with how he’s playing and how the team has been playing so far this season,” Allado, who led La Salle to two UAAP championships in 1998 and 1999, told reporters Monday during the Taft-based school’s ring ceremony for their past champion teams. 

If Quiambao takes home the plum, he will be the first local MVP from La Salle since Allado. 

The last green Archers who won the award was Cameroon’s Ben Mbala, who did it in 2016 and 2017. 

“For me, I’ve been really cheering for him to get the MVP and he’s a Filipino, a local. He will be the next MVP after me and it’s been quite some time since La Salle had a local MVP,” the iconic forward added. 

“It’s a big honor for all of us when he does win the MVP,” said the three-time UAAP mythical team member. 

Allado, currently an assistant coach with the UE Red Warriors, said that while they are playing the same positions, it is “kind of hard” to compare them because their eras were drastically different.

Meanwhile, another former La Salle big man acknowledged the difference in play during their time then and now. 
Former Green Archers captain and power forward Francis Zamora, who is currently the mayor of San Juan City, said that now, basketball is a positionless game. 

“As you can see, even the centers can dribble, they can shoot. Just look at Kevin Quiambao. He can basically do everything, right?” Zamora said. 

“Basketball is very different now, and I would say that college basketball is really a joy to watch especially when you see players playing for the school, they go all out in the game, it was really for pride, for glory, for the alma mater.”