When Kieffer Alas committed to Ateneo de Manila University for his collegiate career, he did not arrive looking like a typical rookie trying to find his footing.
For champion coach Tab Baldwin, Alas already carries himself like a seasoned athlete ready to compete at the professional level.
Known for holding his players to the highest standards, Baldwin did not mince words when assessing the highly touted prospect.
Between his experience with Gilas Pilipinas Boys and a stint at Utah Prep, Alas has arrived in Katipunan with a level of preparation uncommon for most freshmen.
“He’s mature in the sense that he is a coach’s son, so he’s been exposed to a lot of basketball. He’s been overseas. He’s been in different environments. He’s physically UAAP. He’s probably physically PBA-ready right now,” the American-Kiwi mentor said after Ateneo’s dominant 72-52 victory over Adamson University to open the 19th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Saturday evening.
“But, you know, the adjustment to this level, the adjustment to his team, and the adjustment to my coaching are the things he’s got to go through over the next few months. So that when the season starts, he knows exactly what he’s got to go out on the court and do to be productive.”
However, in the true spirit of Baldwin’s rigorous development system — one that has produced four UAAP men’s basketball championships — physical readiness is only part of the equation.
In Baldwin’s view, possessing a “PBA-ready” body does not automatically mean a player is fully prepared for the challenges of competing in a loaded UAAP landscape that includes defending champion De La Salle University, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas.
Throughout his time at De La Salle Zobel and later at Utah Prep in the United States, Alas thrived in systems built around his talents, allowing his individual brilliance to take center stage. At Ateneo, however, the script has changed.
Baldwin revealed that Alas must now learn to mold his individual skill set around the Blue Eagles’ system as the team pursues a return to the Final Four for the first time since UAAP Season 86 in 2023.
“In their high school programs or Kieffer over in the States, it was very easy to focus on their own game and what the team needed them to do. Now it’s reversed. It’s now what do we need them to do for the team? And this is a transition that a lot of talented high school players go through,” Baldwin shared.
“But now we ask them to play both ends of the floor and be very good at both ends of the floor. And they’re capable. Both of them are capable of being good defenders.”
For an all-around scorer accustomed to making his mark on the offensive end, being asked to become a two-way player and embrace defensive responsibilities could be a difficult adjustment.
But Alas is welcoming the challenge, displaying the maturity he has developed through years of learning from his father, Louie — now an assistant coach for Ateneo — and his brothers, Kevin and Kenneth.
“Some people might take it badly, but I think it is a blessing because Coach Tab talked to me before I came in and he’s going to give me different looks on the defensive end of the floor. So I feel like it’s just going to be better for my growth as a player because in high school, like you said, I’m just pretty much focused on scoring rebounds and not really guarding the ball,” Alas said.
“So it’s going to be a big help for wherever I go.”
Fortunately for Alas, he enjoys a luxury that some recent Ateneo recruits did not have — time to adjust and fully understand the demands of collegiate basketball.
When Jared Bahay joined the Blue Eagles in Season 86, the sudden departure of Forthsky Padrigao thrust him into a trial by fire, forcing him to shoulder much of the team’s playmaking responsibilities immediately.
Alas, however, enters a locker room anchored by veterans Shawn Tuano, Andrew Bongo, Bahay, and Ian Espinosa, giving him a strong support system as he navigates his transition to the college game.
“I feel like it’s been an easier transition compared to Jared because when Jared came here, I feel like they lost a lot of players. But now we’re, in my opinion, we are a complete team. So I feel like with these mentors around me, it’s just going to make it easier for me.”
