KEVIN Alas may have failed to make the Philippine men’s basketball roster in the recent fourth window of the Fiba Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
But he had the fortunate chance of playing alongside two NBA players in a week’s time.
The NLEX guard went toe-to-toe with the Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green during the JG4 Manila Tour with Adidas Philippines.
Later on, Alas also had the opportunity to be on the same court with Utah Jazz star Jordan Clarkson as part of the Gilas Pilipinas training pool.
See: Kevin Alas on Gilas teammate Jordan Clarkson: ‘Sarap panoorin’
“Sobrang blessed,” said the veteran guard when asked of the very rare opportunity.
Alas is among the latest Adidas endorsers and was part of the 24-man Gilas training pool in the recently-concluded August window of the World Cup qualifiers.
Asked who is the better player, Alas could not give a direct answer.
“Ang hirap sagutin, pero you have to take into consideration their respective role in their teams,” Alas said. “Go-to-guy kasi si Jalen sa Rocket, while sixth man naman si JC (sa Utah).”
Despite their different roles, Alas said both are great players.
“Parehong hindi nagsasablay sa shooting drills,” he added. “Napaka-galing pareho. Angat na angat talaga.”
While he may not have made it to the final 12-man roster of the men’s national team for the World Cup qualifiers, Alas said it was a big learning experience for him to play together with two legit NBA players in a seven-day span.
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