The Gilas Pilipinas boys are set to compete in the 2024 FIBA U-17 World Cup later this month.
The young Filipino hoopers are bound to go up against Lithuania, Spain and Puerto Rico on the world stage in Turkey, and among their leaders is young star and De La Salle-Zobel ace Kieffer Alas.
The 6-foot-2, Las Piñas City native, is expected to lead the Gilas boys to international glory yet again, much like how they did during the U-16 Asian Championships in 2023, but he said that they are out there to prove that their prowess goes beyond the continent.
“[We’re there] to fight against the strong teams, to compete with them, and give them a good fight naman para we can show na ‘di lang kami pang-Asia at pang-world rin kami,” he said at the sidelines of the Philippine Sportswriters Association at the Rizal Memorial Complex in Manila.
Alas will be coming into the tournament with plenty of experience under his belt. Aside from their Asian dominance in the U-16 championships, he also was named as a part of the Mythical 5 of the UAAP Season 86 boys’ basketball tournament as well as the country’s no. 2 high school player.
However, Kieffer downplayed all of these feats.
“Actually and honestly, that’s a factor, pero that’s local competition, ito worlds na. I’m just gonna use it as a confidence booster na if kaya ko dito sa local, then I can help din dito sa world stage as well.”
What he is baking on, on the other hand, is the trust and knowledge that Gilas men’s tactician Tim Cone imparted to him when the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel mentor visited them in one of their practices.
“Tim Cone is the head coach of our men’s team, ‘di ba? Even though bata pa lang kami, he has a plan for us. He also told us na even though our height is one of the smallest sa World Cup, he can see by our practices pa lang na kaya naming lumaban,” he revealed.
Moving forward, what Alas is looking forward to is getting as many lessons and experiences as he can get, saying that he will eventually be sharing these with his teammates in Muntinlupa.
“I’ll just share with them na nakalaban ko ‘yung mga [possible] NBA players. So imagine kung maka-compete ‘yung team namin doon, imagine sa UAAP, maybe we can possibly reach the Final Four and, hopefully, win the championship,” said Kieffer, who revealed that he will be returning with the Junior Archers for Season 87.
“I will be committing this season to La Salle Zobel, then let’s see.”
But for now, his focus is on balling out for Gilas in the World Cup.
“Honestly, our team, that is not in our minds,” he answered when asked about playing with possible future basketball stars.
“Yes, it’s a bonus that we can compete with [possibly] famous players in the future, pero that’s not what we’re thinking about right now.”
“We just want to compete with the best of the best,” he ended.
Gilas will be flying there, and they will be opening their campaign against Lithuania on June 29. (ABS-CBN News)