Young Alas faces acid test

Kieffer Alas faces his first test in the United States when his Layton Christian Academy (LCA) collides with Redondo Union High School in the Border League at the Silverado High School gymnasium in Las Vegas.

The former De La Salle Zobel star will play his very first game for the Eagles at 10 a.m. (Manila time) with the hopes of preparing for the 4A boys basketball tournament.

After Redondo Union, Alas and the Eagles will battle 5ive Star Hoops on Sunday at Perry High School on Monday.

With National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 coach Casey Stanley at the helm, Alas is poised to reach greater heights and improve his game further since arriving in Utah last August.

But it’s not going to be easy for the young Alas as he will be up against a tough Redondo Union squad that is bannered by SJ Madison, an athletic 6-foot-5 shooting guard who has already committed to play for the University of Nevada in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 next year.

Madison is the No. 130-ranked player in the United States in the Class of 2026 and is expected to run the show for Redondo Union.

Yet Alas won’t be entering the game unprepared as he has been training with the Eagles twice a day since he arrived in Utah last August. Before that, he trained with the Warwick Senators in Perth, Australia to prepare for the physical brand of American basketball.

“The kid has been working hard,” Alas’ father, Ateneo de Manila University assistant coach Louie Alas, told DAILY TRIBUNE in a phone conversation.

“He has been training twice a day to make sure that he will absorb the system of Coach Stanley. Although we’re tempering our expectations, he promised that he will work hard and make an impact every time Coach Stanley puts him on the floor.”

Kieffer’s father, Louie Alas told his son to make a good first impression regardless of the minutes he is given.

Expected to show up in the stands of The Border League are coaches, scouts and talent evaluators of various NCAA Division I schools and G League teams, giving Alas a chance to display his talent for a chance to play in the United States.

“All of them are still adjusting to each other, but he told me that they’re practicing well. Sometimes twice or thrice a day,” the elder Alas said.

“I told him to make the most out of his playing time whether he comes off the bench or is given only a few minutes to play.”