AGE is just a number for 16-year-old hotshot Kieffer Alas, who, in a span of roughly six months, led Gilas Youth's historic qualification to the 2024 Fiba U-17 Basketball World Cup in Turkiye and was named the country’s second-ranked high school basketball prospect.
Alas also earned two All-Tournament Team nods to his name — one for the nationals’ fourth-place finish in 2023 Fiba Asia U-16 Cup, the other with De La Salle-Zobel in the recently concluded UAAP Season 86 juniors’ basketball tournament.
READ: Jared Bahay says no kids gloves treatment from Tab Baldwin at Ateneo
But accolades and feats aside, what struck the Junior Archer star most about his biggest international stint as a national player to date is the tantalizing gap in the levels of play between the Philippines and its powerhouse Asian neighbors.
It was a reality check the nationals needed, and one Alas took as a ‘slap in the face’ to bolster his own growth in the game.
“After the Fiba (Asia U16 Cup 2023), I realized how malayo pa talaga ‘yung mga Filipinos compared sa Australia, China. I just took that as a slap in the face so I could work even harder. I brought that [mindset] sa UAAP and it worked, so I’m just gonna keep on doing the same thing,” said.
And in such short a time, Alas took pride in two huge changes to him as a person and player amid his rapid growth spurt in the sport.
“I think my attitude and also my work ethic [has changed]. Because last year, I was pretty complacent at times especially after Fiba, after going against the best of the best. It taught me how sobrang layo pa ng mga Pinoy compared sa mga Australians,” said Alas.
Alas ‘grows’ with the flow
One might pinpoint his esteemed basketball surname as a catalyst to his fast rise, but it is clear that Kieffer is blazing his own trail regardless of age and who his dad or brother may be.
“I don’t really think [opportunities] are coming too fast. I just let it all come to me. I enjoy din ‘yung mga opportunities that are coming to me because not every kid who’s 16 [years old] gets all these opportunities so I’m just gonna take advantage of the moment.
Alas added: “I’m just gonna take advantage of the opportunity because you never get to play against the best of the best again. Wala lang, I’m not gonna think about [expectations] too much.”
Following his UAAP juniors stint, Alas and his De La Salle-Zobel wards will battle it out with the likes of Ateneo-bound top-ranked ace Jared Bahay in the 2024 National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) National Finals on March 18 to 24 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena,
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