In the annual showcase of the best Filipino young talent, held Saturday inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Kieffer Alas stood out as the superstar among superstars.
Alas secured two victories in the 2024 Smart-NBTC adidas All-Star Saturday event, first dominating the adidas Skills Challenge and then leading Team Hustle to a 114-106 victory over Team Heart in the adidas All-Star Game.
Ranked as the no. 2 under-19 player in the Philippines and serving as the lead guard for De La Salle Zobel, Alas delivered an impressive performance with 24 points, supported by Gilas Pilipinas Youth stalwart Jacob Bayla, who contributed 14 points, and NCAA Season 99 Juniors Finals MVP Titing Manalili, who added 11 points.
Early in the game, Alas and Bayla captivated the audience with a series of dunks, while Andy Gemao responded with his own aerial acrobatics for Team Heart, whose effort was led by Veejay Pre of Far Eastern University-Diliman, scoring 20 points.
In the side events preceding the exhibition, Alas, the son of multi-titled mentor Louie and younger brother of NLEX star Kevin, also led Team Smalls to victory in the adidas Skills Challenge.
Other winners included Team Global (comprising Triple Threat New Zealand’s KC Ioane, Fil-Euro Nation Select’s Tim Broth, Filcom Italy’s Lorenzo Dimayuga, and Top Flight Canada’s Allen Vergara) in the adidas Shooting Stars, Mick Geronimo (representing Pusong Pinoy Marinduque) in the adidas Three-Point Shootout, and Winnie Fernandez (from STI-West Negros University) in the adidas Slam Dunk Contest.
Meanwhile, Karylle Sierba’s 21-point performance enabled Team Pride to fend off Team Passion in the first-ever adidas Girls All-Star Game.
Another milestone was reached by the Philippine national under-19 basketball championship, also supported by adidas, Molten, Swish, and Farm Fresh Dairy, as it staged its inaugural Manila Showcase, featuring the NBTC Nationals Prospects against the Manila Live Aspirants.
In this matchup, the NBTC Nationals Prospects secured a come-from-behind 104-97 triumph over the Manila Live Aspirants.
The NBTC National Finals concludes on Sunday at the same venue, with UAAP champion Adamson High School facing last year’s finalist, Fil-Am Nation Select, for the Division 1 title, while Top Flight Canada and Eco Green Technology-Makati battled for the Division 2 crown.
