It was not too long ago when Kib Montalbo won his first UAAP title as a rookie. Four years later and with two championships under his belt, he is not just the most senior member of the Green Archers, he is their certified leader as well.
Last year, Kib made a successful return from an ACL injury that sidelined him for all of UAAP 78. Adding a staunch defensive mindset to his game, he was a key ingredient to coach Aldin Ayo’s “Mayhem”. He led the league in steals with 3 per game with 42 in total. Known for his playmaking and scoring abilities early in his basketball career, he is now positioning himself as a solid lockdown defender.
After suffering another injury that caused him to miss much of last summer’s FilOil tournament, Kib returned to action in the recently concluded BLIA Cup in Taiwan in which the Green Archers swept their way to first place.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Kib admits that he has not fully recovered from his recent injury but is optimistic that he will be in 100 percent playing shape come September. He also can’t contain his excitement for the upcoming UAAP season and is determined to lead his team to repeat last year’s championship romp.
“I’m excited. I’m hungry to win back-to-back titles.”
What lessons did the DLSU Green Archers learn from a tournament in Taiwan? @kibmontalbo shares his experience. https://t.co/toRCuyScDk pic.twitter.com/vPwxfHnxW7
— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) July 31, 2017
Despite their recent victory overseas, Kib admits the team, that has some big shoes to fill on offense with Jeron Teng gone, is still a work in progress and hopes they will be able to play to their full abilities when the new UAAP season starts.
Kib is the last remaining member of the 2013 championship squad. He witnessed how Mac Belo crushed his team’s hopes for a title repeat the following year. With their recent success overseas, the Green Archers look to try to have a different outcome this time around and win consecutive UAAP championships for the first time in 16 years.