Not known to everyone was that Kieffer Alas was one of the few cuts made by Gilas Pilipinas Youth for last year’s FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship.
But that did not deter the spirit of the son of Louie Alas.
Instead of sulking, the 6-foot-2 winger used it as motivation to get better.
“I’m very happy because last year I got cut. I didn’t get a chance to play. Now, I have this opportunity to represent our country,” the now 16-year-old lamented.
“I think I got more serious with the game. I used last year as motivation to get bigger and improve both as a player and as a person.”
During the past year, Alas improved his craft.
At just Grade 10, he became one of the leaders of De La Salle-Zobel in the UAAP.
More importantly, he learned how to become a leader.
His efforts were rewarded as Alas is now part of Gilas when they compete in the 2023 SEABA Under-16 Championship.
The tournament takes place next week in Surabaya.
Kieffer though wants to be a mainstay in the Gilas program for the years to come. And it’s because he wants to have more caps than his older brother Kevin.
Throughout his career, Kevin has appeared in eight FIBA games — including six during his time with Gilas 2.0.
“I want to play more games than him in Gilas. I want to up him,” Kieffer quipped.
“Brotherly love yun e.”
In SEABA, he will play three games. And if they advance to the Asian Championship, he can have many more.
But the Asian Championship is not his ultimate goal.
After all, Kieffer knows that this current batch of Gilas Boys has the potential to make it to the world stage.
“Pang-World Cup po yung team namin.”
