Take a look at how the KBL teams of Kevin Quiambao and JD Cagulangan are faring before the Filipino imports join them in the New Year.
UAAP stars Kevin Quiambao and JD Cagulangan are expected to join their new teams in the Korean Basketball League at the turn of the new year as they each bid farewell to La Salle and UP, respectively, after contrasting ends to UAAP Season 87.
Quiambao, who still has two years of eligibility left, is headed to the Goyang Sono Skygunners who are currently in the bottom half of the KBL standings at 7-13.
Goyang scored a breakthrough in their last two games, going on a win streak after previously losing 11 games in a row. Their most recent win came with a 20-point beatdown of the Seoul Samsung Thunders.
They’re currently led by Alan Williams, who is their second leading scorer and the team’s best rebounder and blocker through 20 games of the season.
Junghyun Lee is their top scorer so far with an average of 18.4 points per contest. The starting point guard also plays the heaviest minutes with 33.4 minutes per game.
However, Lee has only seen action in 12 games.
Only five players have played in all 20 games of the Skygunners this season. Williams missed two games.
They are two-time KBL champions and last won the chip back in the 2015-16 season where they were then called the Goyang Orion Orions.
Quiambao, who is a champion in his own right, will look to impact his team immediately when he joins them after the holidays.
Meanwhile, Cagulangan’s Suwon KT Sonic Boom are faring a little bit better and are currently in the top-4 of the league with a 12-9 slate through 21 games.
They are winners of back-to-back games, including an OT thriller over SJ Belangel’s Daegu KOGAS last December 20, 88-86.
Last year’s runners-up will be looking for redemption with Rayshaun Hammonds leading the charge.
Hammonds has played all 21 games and is the team’s top scorer and rebounder with averages of 18.7 points and 10.8 rebounds.
Armed with experience from his 4-year stint with the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, Cagulangan will be seeking to forge partnerships with his big men when he makes his professional debut next month.
Quiambao and Cagulangan were engaged in opposite ends of the Finals battle in UAAP Season 87, with Cagulangan’s UP emerging victorious over Quiambao’s La Salle in three games. La Salle won the series in Season 86.
They now renew their rivalry in the pros.
Other former UAAP players in the KBL include Fighting Maroons Carl Tamayo (Changwon LG Sakers), Javi (Anyang KGC) and Juan Gomez de Liaño (Seoul SK Knights), and Belangel.