MANILA – TNT Tropang Giga head coach Vincent Reyes was unsurprised by Kib Montalbo’s offensive breakout performance in the ongoing 2021 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
According to the seasoned bench tactician, Montalbo, a native of Bacolod City, used his debut year as a defensive guard to improve on his offense during workouts.
“Kib has been putting in the work in practice,” Reyes said. “And the work that he’s putting in in practice, extra shots, spending time in the weights room, extra conditioning, I think it’s showing on the basketball court.”
The former De La Salle University Green Archers player gained confidence two weeks ago when he scored 13 points in Tropang Giga’s 83-67 defeat to San Miguel Beermen.
The former St. John’s Institute in Bacolod City standout has since scored double digits, including a career-high 22 points last week in TNT’s win over NorthPort Batang Pier. Montalbo averaged 13.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals in the last four games.
“Kib’s a dog,” said TNT rookie Mikey Williams. “He’s giving us that little energy spark that we need day in and day out, picking up 94 feet and picking on, most of the time, the best challenges that we have.”
For Reyes, the 6-foot Montalbo has become an integral part of the Tropang Giga rotation as the club focuses on improving their defense, which was a weakness in last year’s runner-up performance.
“If you’ll notice, with a lot of our pick-ups, we put a premium on defense,” he explained. “You know, the guys that we picked up in the offseason they’re really defenders because that’s what we feel that we lack in this team.”
The Tropang Giga finished the elimination round with a 10-1 record, earning a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals round./PN
