For Ateneo Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kat Quimpo, basketball has always been close to her heart. As a little girl, she watched Allen Iverson break players’ ankles with no remorse, made daily visits to the basketball court with her uncle, and tirelessly practiced moves against her cousins.
Basketball eventually evolved from a minor interest to a daily routine for Quimpo. “Doing that pretty much every day, I think it made me fall in love with the sport,” she says. Her love for the game bloomed as she grew older, eventually translating to a career in high school and collegiate basketball.
A stellar collegiate career
After a standout high school basketball career in De La Salle Zobel, Quimpo found herself at a crossroads: Would she play for the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Archers, or would she take her talents to their rivals, the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles?
DLSU was an incredibly enticing option. Quimpo aspired to take up Liberal Arts and Commerce—an arts and business double degree program unique to La Salle. The women’s basketball situation at Taft was objectively better as well: La Salle, back in 2002, was the defending University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) champions, while Ateneo had only won three UAAP games in the last three years.
But Quimpo simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play for Ateneo. While an important factor was the challenge of helping the underdogs, what ultimately swayed her decision was the campus. “I just fell in love with it,” Quimpo recalls upon first seeing the Loyola Schools grounds. She suited up for the Blue and White, began her stellar collegiate career, and never looked back.
Quimpo quickly claimed the starting point guard role as a rookie. By her third year in 2005, she helped deliver the UAAP crown to Katipunan. The team was in fine form the following year in UAAP Season 69, until Quimpo fractured her left hand two days before their semis elimination game. In a herculean effort, Quimpo decided to play through the injury. Unfortunately, her determination and hunger still failed to clinch the win. Ateneo did not make their return to the finals after being bested by Far Eastern University in a heartbreaking 44-46 defeat.
In her final season in 2007, Quimpo and the Lady Eagles fought their way back to the finals, forcing a showdown against the University of the Philippines. She led the team to their second championship in three years, winning the Finals Most Valuable Player along the way. This was the sweetest victory and the perfect send off to her basketball career—as a player, that is.
From taking the shots to calling the shots
Even before she graduated, Quimpo dreamed of giving back to the Ateneo community. Quimpo thought that coaching would be the perfect way to help the basketball program that she owed so much to. However, any idea of this quickly dissipated when she left the basketball scene to focus on her entrepreneurial endeavors. But when then-head coach of the Lady Eagles Erika Dy invited her to join the coaching staff as an assistant in 2015, Quimpo couldn’t say no. Four years later, Quimpo eventually ascended as head coach of the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team.
Quimpo’s unique standpoint as a former player and point guard is seen in her system, which is predicated by ball movement and reads rather than set actions. However, her experience as a player has also proven to be a double-edged sword—it’s far too easy for her to empathize with the hardships of being a student-athlete.
“I will always have a heart for players, because I know their struggles,” she admits. This has made tough decisions even harder to call, especially when it comes to disciplining the team.
But Quimpo’s experience as a player also gives her an understanding of how short-lived women’s basketball can be in the Philippines. Unlike men’s basketball, where there is an abundance of professional avenues in the country, a career in women’s basketball comes sparingly. Quimpo knows that she is lucky to get a second chance with the sport she has always loved, and because of this same realization, she puts a bigger premium on the values she can teach her athletes and fellow coaches.
Quimpo wants to help the girls grow—not just as athletes, but as human beings.
“I know that women’s basketball isn’t forever,” Quimpo admits. “What I know will last is the values and character that are shaped in their college life. I don’t wanna waste those opportunities to help the athletes grow as a person.”
What do you think about this story? Send your comments and suggestions here: tgdn.co/2ZqqodZ
