Push Admin

Gilas U16: NBA Academy alums Alas, Chua cross paths anew for common goal

Article (news)

Levi Joshua Verora Jr.

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Handout photo" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/07/14/gilas-youth-practice-irus-chua-8945-(1).jpg"/><figcaption>Handout photo</figcaption></figure></div>CALAMBA -- The budding basketball careers of Gilas Pilipinas Youth members Kieffer Alas and Irus Chua share a few parallels, with their participation in the exclusive NBA Academy Asia Development Camp in Singapore earlier in the year being the most distinct.The two young stars have found a way to share the floor once again, as both were named to the U16 squad gearing for the SEABA U16 Championship this weekend.Alas said he is ready to showcase his wares on the international stage.“I’m very happy because last year, I got cut, so I didn’t get an opportunity to play, so now I get a chance to represent the country,” Alas said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/13/23/gilas-youth-marches-to-fiba-womens-u16-semis">Gilas Youth crushes Jordan to clinch FIBA Women&#x27;s U16 semis berth</a></li></ul>The budding wing man is the youngest of coach Louie Alas’ four sons, along with NLEX Road Warriors star Kevin, former Letran Knight Kristoffer, and Kenneth.Alas shared that he used recent setbacks, including minor injuries, to improve his game.“I think I got more serious into the game. I used last year as a motivation to get bigger and improve as a player, as a person,” the De La Salle-Zobel youngster said.On a personal level, further inspiring Alas to do well in the tournament aside from carrying the family name is to succeed his eldest brother Kevin in terms of Gilas appearances.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/12/23/tough-gilas-u16-squad-ready-for-seaba-championships">&#x27;Tough&#x27; Gilas U16 squad ready for SEABA Championships</a></li></ul>Kevin, of course, had several stints with the national team. He was part of the gold medal-winning cadet team in the 2013 SEA Games. He also saw action for several iterations of the seniors squad under coach Chot Reyes.“It’s very inspiring. I want to play more games than him sa Gilas, [especially] sa seniors … I want to one-up him. It’s brotherly love rin, eh,” Kieffer said.Chua, on the other hand, has a slightly different claim to fame. The Brent International School prodigy went viral after scoring a record 121 points in a local youth league.From there, the 16-year-old combo guard honed his craft to get a call-up to play for coach Josh Reyes’ squad, which he describes as a dream come true.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/12/23/pace-of-european-teams-similar-to-gilas-world-cup-foes-chot">Pace of European teams similar to Gilas&#x27; World Cup foes: Chot</a></li></ul>“When I was first invited, I was very grateful and really happy, because it’s always been my dream to be part of the team and to get the call-up, I was really excited. It was just fun,” he said.“[I’m] so happy to be part of the [pool]. It’s an experience everyone wants to have. I want to get this so it’s an opportunity [of a lifetime].”Being part of an elite camp that featured 30 players from 14 different countries, Chua said he and Alas will now have an advantage as they’ve seen the “bigger picture” of how other countries play.“I learned a lot of things in the NBA Academy. There were a lot of things the coaches taught us that I didn’t know here yet, and when I tried to apply, it actually works,” Chua shared.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/11/23/fiba-gilas-womens-u-16-crushes-maldives-by-122-points">FIBA: Gilas Women&#x27;s U-16 crushes Maldives by 122 points</a></li></ul>“It’s really good to be part of different part of camps as I learned from each one. [It’s] different perspectives.”Sharing similar paths from a young age and learning from each other tend to do wonders for basketball players.In 2009, then teenagers Kiefer Ravena, Von Pessumal, Jeron Teng, and Kevin Ferrer joined forces for a semifinal finish in the first ever U16 Asian Championship.Years later, figures like Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo, Kobe Paras, Jordan Heading, Arvin Tolentino, SJ Belangel, Juan Gomez de Liaño, and more recently Caelum Harris, Jared Bahay, and Andy Gemao would all don the national colors.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/08/23/gilas-u16-coach-hopes-museum-visit-reminds-players-of-purpose">Gilas U16 coach hopes Rizal Museum visit reminds players of purpose</a></li></ul>Alas, Chua, and the rest of this year’s Gilas U16 roster know they are succeeding a long list of such names who have all made their marks.Not to be outdone, the latest batch is determined not to let their kuyas down, and ultimately, for national pride and honor: “Pang World Cup ‘yung team namin,” Alas said.<div>RELATED VIDEO: </div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lnElEShKt80?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The two young stars have found a way to share the floor once again, as both were named to the U16 squad gearing for the SEABA U16 Championship this weekend.