By MARK REY MONTEJO
From green and white to blue and white.
That will be the motif color for the ‘homecoming party’ of the young and prolific scorer in Kieffer Alas.
The youngest of the basketball-playing Alas brothers is coming home to suit up for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball later this year.
Alas announced his commitment on Tuesday, March 3, much to the delight of the Ateneo faithful.
The 18-year-old Kieffer disclosed the development of his next move on his Instagram post, sharing a photo of him wearing an Ateneo jersey. There, he will be reunited with his father – Louie – who is one of the assistant coaches.
“Homecoming,” Kieffer wrote in his post, which also featured a photo bearing the message: “A big lesson I learned this year is that a person’s capacity for growth is directly linked to how much truth they can face about themselves without running away.”
Prior to his decision to play under veteran mentor Tab Baldwin, Alas, who starred for De La Salle Junior Archers in the high school ranks, honed and sharpened his craft in the United States where he suited up for Layton Christian Academy and Utah Prep colors.
The versatile 6-foot- 2 guard became the latest addition to the retooled Blue Eagles. The team management had earlier recruited rising stars from the province in Davaoeño Rene Baterbonia and Cebuano Jelomar Rota, to name a few.
The troika are touted as the best younger hoopers across the country after their stellar runs for their respective teams in the juniors division.
Their arrival would be big for Ateneo as its one-and-done players Kymani Ladi, Dom Escobar, and Jaden Lazo had already bade farewell.
Despite a promising start, the Eagles settled for sixth place (6-8) in Season 88 which extended the semifinals drought of the Katipunan-based squad.
Alas joins Jared Bahay, Divine Adili, Shawn Tuano, Waki Espina, Ian Espinosa, and Andrew Bongo when Ateneo seeks its return in the semis in the UAAP’s 89th edition.
