Before the UAAP Season 86 Boys’ Basketball Tournament, Kieffer Alas was filled with hope that De La Salle Zobel would make it to the Final Four.
After all, he was coming off a spectacular outing with Gilas Youth, leading the Philippines to the Under-17 World Cup while earning a spot on Asia’s All-Under 16 Team.
Meanwhile, the Junior Archers had reloaded, adding the likes of Bonn Daja to boost the team. However, after a 2-1 start, everything came crashing down for Alas and the Junior Archers.
They lost nine of their last 11 games, and to make matters worse, Alas missed their last three games due to injury.
“Honestly, I thought we were going to make the Final Four, but this season was a learning experience for us,” lamented Alas, who averaged 20.36 points, 10.82 rebounds, 5.27 assists, and 1.27 steals per game.
“We are just going to bring this next year. We are all coming back. We are going to use this for next year.”
Despite another early exit, long-time Junior Archers head coach Boris Aldeguer is filled with hope for next season.
“Not the way we wanted to go, but remember, we are probably one of the youngest teams out there,” said Aldeguer. “We have a bunch of players who are only fifteen to sixteen years old.
“It’s actually a bright future for this team. It’s still a good season for us because we learned a lot, and this team will only get better. We are still positive about it.”
Next season, the Junior Archer will field a foreign big man. And if Waki Espina decides to come back, Aldeguer believes he will have a formidable bunch ready to end their long semis drought.
“We have an FSA coming in, and we are also eyeing key players. We are looking at most three guys to load up our team.”
