After carefully weighing his options, De La Salle Zobel standout and UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Most Valuable Player Kieffer Alas has finally made a decision.
The 17-year-old Gilas Boys guard — who posted impressive averages of 20.07 points, 11.14 rebounds, 4.93 assists, and 1.07 steals per game — will head to Australia in April to embark on an intensive one-month training camp.
“The initial plan is to go to Australia for a training camp next month,” Alas told reporters after receiving the Season 87 MVP award on Thursday morning at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
He is the first UAAP boys’ basketball MVP from the Junior Archers since Aljun Melecio in Season 78 back in 2016.
“It’s a big help, especially to the mental aspect. Kasi when I went down with that injury, I was super down. Just kept on trusting in God and He blessed me with this award,” he added, recalling the time he suffered an ACL strain days before the FIBA Under-17 World Cup last year.
Two weeks ago, sources informed Tiebreaker Times that after his Australia stint, Alas is expected to head to the United States to test his skills with an AAU team.
However, the talented guard has not ruled out returning to DLSZ to play his final year in Season 88.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Let’s just see after that kung ano na mangyayari,” said Alas, the son of Ateneo assistant coach Louie Alas and younger brother of NLEX guard Kevin Alas.
While Alas delivered exceptional individual performances, the Junior Archers missed the Final Four for the eighth consecutive year, ending their campaign with a 6-8 win-loss record.
If Alas’ pursuit of carving his own path in the international basketball scene succeeds, he hopes his teammates will maintain their hunger and determination to break through in the highly competitive UAAP landscape that features powerhouses like National University Nazareth School, University of Santo Tomas, and Far Eastern University-Diliman.
“Even though we didn’t win this season, I just want them to know that no matter what happens, win or lose, just keep on playing hard kasi anything that happens with the progress we make, that’s still progress,” he concluded.
