KEVIN Alas only has one goal in mind: to prove his naysayers wrong.
Still on his road to recovery from a torn ACL on his right knee incurred last March, the former Letran stalwart made it known that he's more driven to have a strong comeback.
“To be honest, I'm excited and super motivated,” he told SPIN.ph. “I want to prove something, na coming from an ACL injury, some say na things will never be the same. May gusto lang ako patunayan sa sarili ko na I can be better than before, na I can be stronger than before. Gusto ko patunayan na mas malakas ako than before.”
Alas is now a step closer to his on-court return as he joined the NLEX team practices on Wednesday morning practice at FCL Center in Xavierville Avenue in Katipunan.
That move surprised a lot of his teammates, giving the Road Warriors a much-needed insipiration as they power through the season-ending 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup.
“Nagulat talaga sila,” he said, sharing that he only was able to secure his clearance from doctors on Monday. “Sumali na ako sa drills, shooting drills, except lang doon sa may contact.”
But Alas said he doesn’t want to disrupt the team’s groove this conference and wants to play it safe as he hopes to fully join NLEX’s buildup come the offseason.
“Target ko talaga is All-Filipino na ako babalik. Iniisip ko para din makasabay ako sa kanila sa offseason, na kung may rookie man, buo na yung team,” he said. “As early as last month, nagagawa ko na lahat, yung lay-up and sprint. Hindi lang ako binibigyan ng clearance ni Dr. (Raul) Canlas to make sure na maayos na talaga yung tuhod ko.”
Still, participating in NLEX’s practices should already be considered as a cause for celebration for the 26-year-old cager.
“Masaya kasi parang almost there na, makakalaro na ako,” said Alas. “Masaya kasi syempre six-and-a-half months akong di nakakalaro, and it was very frustrating on my part. Nasubukan talaga ang patience ko. Pero masaya lang kasi yung process talagang tinyaga ko.”
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