INTERESTINGLY, for all his brilliance whether in De La Salle Zobel or Ateneo, Kieffer Alas is yet to shine on the UAAP's grandest stage.
In his three years as a Jr. Archer, the 6-foot-2 guard always fell short of the Final Four, even in his MVP campaign in Season 87.
Now with the Blue Eagles, he and his teammates find themselves just on the outside looking into the playoff picture with an even record after 10 starts.
Ateneo, though, is breathing down the neck of third and fourth-running La Salle (6-4) and FEU (5-4). But at the same time, also clinging onto a spot 4-5 Adamson and 4-6 University of Santo Tomas are hungrily eyeing.
With four games to go, Alas has his latest playoff fate in his very own hands - and best believe he will keep giving it his best shot.
"We're still very hopeful. We're still in the hunt naman, so like what we always talk about, no matter what happens, we don't stay too high or too low," he told SPIN.ph after the Blue Eagles absorbed an overtime loss in their rivalry showdown with the Green Archers on Saturday.
READ: La Salle bests archrival Ateneo in OT to hit mark for solo third
What he fell short of as youngest-ever NBTC All-Star or as No. 1 in the annual rankings of under-19 players in the Philippines, he has a golden opportunity to do in his first year in the UAAP seniors.
And he hopes those shortcomings from before will work wonders for him in the long run, particularly in also helping Ateneo return to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
As he put it, talking about his time in DLSZ, "Until now, they piss me off. I was in Zobel three years and the best I got was fifth-place. So now, I'm gonna use that hunger to help my team now."
"Ateneo rin hasn't reached the Final Four in three years, so nakaka-relate kami with each other. We're just gonna use this hunger to keep improving."
Kieff it up
To be clear, however, Alas is just taking it step-by-step, avoiding adding much more weight to the burden he already carries as a blue-chip recruit for a proud program like this one in Katipunan.
Even more eyes lay upon him following the blue-and-white's eventful offseason, forcing him to mature much quicker than already expected.
The 19 year old has nonetheless lived up to the billing in averaging a team-best 15.8 points on top of 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 steals through the Blue Eagles' playoff push.
Safe to say, it's been so far, so good for the Rookie of the Year frontrunner.
But individual awards have never been enough for Alas. Those aren't the accolades he hopes to be mentioned alongside his name.
"I'm not thinking about awards. We're all not thinking about those. What matters is we give our best every game, and hopefully, we all get to the playoffs," he said.
He's been top rookie, and he can be one again this year. He's been juniors MVP, and he has as good a shot as any to repeat the feat in the seniors.
He's never played for a playoff team, however, and that has to change. That's what matters most for great players, after all.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
