ANTIPOLO — Kevin Alas is not one who believes in luck.
That’s why he had no apprehensions when he came back to play in the very same place where he suffered all of his three ACL injuries, as NLEX took on San Miguel in a PBA Commissioner’s Cup affair on Sunday night.
“Actually dami nagtatanong sa akin na, ‘O, ba’t naglalaro ka sa Ynares?’ parang ganyan. Akin naman, hindi kasi ako naniniwala sa malas tsaka sa swerte,” he explained. “It’s just that the Lord allowed it to happen sa buhay ko.”
Besides it being his second outing back in the league, it was his first game in this venue situated in the Rizal capitol since November 18 of last year, when he fell down to another ACL tear against Terrafirma.
That scene brought flashbacks of the previous injuries he sustained at the Ynares Center, all of which caused him to endure lengthy absences since those injuries usually take a year to recover from completely.
It was the same case for his last injury and the people around him, of course, understandably worried upon checking that his second game back would be here, given the kind of history he has in this indoor arena.
Yet he set foot here once again, hardly bothered by the past.
“It’s just that the Lord allowed it to happen sa buhay ko,” Alas said. “I believe that the Lord is sovereign sa buhay ko, in control sa lahat ng bagay. I know it’s probably hard to hear na tatlong injury dito, tapos hindi ako naniniwala.”
The 33-year-old bravely played through it as well, listing four points in the 21 minutes he saw action in a game that saw him get utilized by Coach Jong Uichico late in the game apparently for an added stabilizer on his five.
NLEX won, 104-99, coming back from as much as 19 points down to chalk up their third straight win in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup – a win brought about hugely by the 39-point explosion of star guard Robert Bolick.
Alas admitted that he was surprised to be used by Uichico during the crucial stretch given that he’s still far from where he wants to be shape-wise, but was at the same time thankful to be given that kind of opportunity.
“I was surprised na ‘yun na nga, dikdikan ‘yung laro, bigla niya ‘kong ginamit nung fourth. I was really grateful for that, baka ma-fast track yung pagkuha ng rhythm ko,” said the two-time PBA Sportsmanship Award winner.
That and the victory are among the blessings which, for Alas, far outweigh the unfortunate incidents such as injuries that had gone his way over the years – thus his unwavering faith and the resilience that he possesses.
“I take comfort in the fact that the Lord is in control sa buhay ko,” said the Asian Games gold medalist with Gilas Pilipinas. “Ang dami namang blessings na nangyari eh. “Ngayon I’m just grateful na nanalo kami.”
