Young Alas plots training Down Under

Kieffer Alas — the hottest high school player in the country today — is set to train in Australia following his campaign for De La Salle Zobel (DLSZ) in Season 87 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) juniors’ basketball tournament.

Alas’ father, Louie, told DAILY TRIBUNE that the 17-year-old Gilas Youth star will be training in Australia before joining a team in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in the United States.

From there, he will carefully weigh his options whether to return to the country for college or stay abroad for better opportunities.

Gifted with a deadly brew of speed, skills, athleticism and high basketball IQ, Alas has been dominating the ongoing season of the UAAP.

In fact, he dropped a career-high 37 points on top of seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Junior Archers’ 80-73 victory over rival Ateneo de Manila High School last Sunday, sparking speculations about his next destination once he formally wraps up his career in the juniors ranks.

DLSZ is already out of the Final Four picture with a 5-8 win-loss record. It will close its campaign with a game against Far Eastern University-Diliman on Thursday.

“Kieffer will be training in Australia against guys who are bigger than him. If it goes through, it will be in Perth,” said Louie, a multi-titled mentor in the National Collegiate Athletic Association who now serves as deputy of Tab Baldwin at Ateneo de Manila University.

“After Australia, the plan is for him to go to the US against AAU teams. We’ve already talked to a lot of AAU teams even before the UAAP started.”

Should the plan of training in Australia doesn’t pan out, the young Alas is still eligible to see action in the National Basketball Training Center All-Star Game, where he has a good chance of earning the attention of foreign coaches and scouts.

Last year, the younger brother of NLEX guard Kevin Alas scored 24 points to lead Team Hustle to a 114-106 victory over Team Heart, which was led by current Ateneo point guard Jared Bahay.

Alas was supposed to join an AAU team last year but opted to join Gilas Youth in the FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey. Then, the plan fizzled out after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament days before the tournament.

Louie said his son is showing tremendous maturity in the face of adversity.

“If there is something I noticed in him, it’s how fast he matures. He doesn’t think like a kid when it comes to improving his craft,” said Louie, asserting that his son remains focused on doing things that can help him improve.

“You’ll never know what will happen next after this AAU stint. His concern is improving for the AAU since they have a lot of leagues there.”