Kieffer Alas will not be in complete darkness when he kicks off his overseas career for Layton Christian Academy (LCU) in the United States.

The 18-year-old prodigy told DAILY TRIBUNE that he is getting pointers from former Letran College standout Andy Gemao to make his transition smoother.

Alas had already settled in Utah, together with his mother, Liza. His father, Ateneo de Manila University assistant coach Louie Alas, will follow shortly for a brief visit to make sure that the young Alas can smoothly adjust to his new life as a student-athlete at LCU.

But adjusting to his new environment had been easy since Alas is getting tips from Gemao, the 19-year-old prodigy who is studying and playing at Royal Crown School in Toronto.

“Andy and I have known each other for a long time so at least I have someone to talk to,” Alas said.

“We talked about it a lot. I really hope we cross paths but I feel like it’s not really possible because he’s in Canada. We’re just going to support each other from afar.”

Alas and Gemao had picked similar paths going to the Division I of the US National Collegiate Athletic Association. They also both played in the National Basketball Training Center in which Gemao powered Fil-Am Nation Select to the title in 2024 while Alas led the Phenom Bluefire to the finals this year.

Alas said he and Gemao are honing their skills abroad to make sure they will be ready when they get called up for national team duties in the future.

“The main reason for us going abroad is for more growth as a person and as a player,” said Alas, citing the golden opportunity of playing in a higher level of competition against taller, stronger Americans and foreign students as the main reason behind his transfer from De La Salle Zobel to LCU.

“It’s just a big experience that we can bring if we get called up soon for the national team.”