KIEFFER Alas is taking his talents to UAAP men's basketball.
READ: Coach Louie Alas sets boundaries as son Kieffer lands at Ateneo
But a couple of his fellow standouts from Gilas Pilipinas Youth will have to wait a little longer.
While Mark Esperanza and Joaqui Ludovice have played their last seasons in NCAA and UAAP juniors, respectively, they will still have to finish their high school studies before being eligible for the collegiate ranks.
At present, the two are just about to finish Grade 11 and will have one more year of academics to take care of.
Final salvo in juniors
Esperanza, already committed to Ateneo, starred for San Sebastian in his last year in HS and put up per game counts of 21.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.1 steals for the quarterfinalist Golden Staglets. Prior to that, he suited up for the University of the Philippines Integrated School before helping Adamson to the UAAP Season 86 championship.
Ludovice, for his part, was a key cog in University of Santo Tomas' UAAP Season 87 title run and averaged 11.5 markers, 2.9 dimes, 2.2 boards, and 1.1 pilfers in his final season in the juniors. He is the subject of a bidding war between two UAAP teams - and perhaps, even more later on.
Esperanza was also hailed as No. 3 in the NBTC's annual rankings of the top 24 under-19 players in the Philippines, as Ludovice later joined him in the All-Star Game for his red-hot run in the 2026 Smart-NBTC Wildcard and National Finals presented by SM.
Both of them, though, will now have a lot of time on their hands for extra work, as they sit out the coming collegiate campaign.
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