Dennis Gaviola

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Now that he&#x27;s back home, Kieffer Alas is out to prove he&#x27;s only a rookie by age and not by skill.The 18-year-old combo guard spent a year in the United States before returning to the Philippines to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles.The addition of Alas to the Katipunan-based squad is a much-needed boost, after they missed out on the Final Four the last two seasons.Given his recent stint in Utah Prep and his resume, the former UAAP Juniors MVP is not letting the expectations weigh him down.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/3/3/uaap-kieffer-alas-commits-to-ateneo-1331">READ: UAAP: Kieffer Alas commits to Ateneo </a></div>&quot;I mean, I&#x27;m not here to prove anything to people naman. But I just wanna show that I&#x27;m not your typical freshman that you can push over and stuff. I wanna show that I&#x27;m like a veteran player now from my experience abroad,&quot; Alas told select reporters in a gathering by VP Global Management on Thursday.&quot;I try not to think about it. Because honestly, pressure is a privilege eh. So not everybody&#x27;s gonna be under pressure. So I just think in a good way that people are pressuring me&quot; he shared.Alas acknowledges that there are people questioning his return to the Philippines, but he said the decision was not one made on impulse, nor a back-up plan.&quot;After contemplating it with my family, because my main dream is to play pro. So going back, I just need the most opportunity for more playing time and more growth as a player and as a person,&quot; Alas said.&quot;I feel like I have something to prove to the Philippines, because there are already so much people doubting me for moving back here when I was already in the States,&quot; he added.After several years of wearing green and white, Alas is ready to don the blue and white to help bring the UAAP men&#x27;s basketball crown back to Katipunan.&quot;Me, myself, I really don&#x27;t like to live in the past. So, my main goal right now is just to win the championship with Ateneo,&quot; he shared.For the 18-year-old, playing in the US helped him grow and mature as a player both physically and mentally.&quot;I&#x27;m not always going to be that guy in my team. So, at least coming from a role player role there, I can now, I&#x27;m now capable of playing both as a main scorer and as a role player,&quot; he shared.&quot;Just being around future NBA players, people who can dunk and do everything, that contributed to my growth as well, so I can bring it over to the Philippines,&quot; he said.<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/3/7/kieffer-alas-barby-dajao-poised-to-claim-uaap-high-school-hoops-mvp-1737">READ: Kieffer Alas, Barby Dajao poised to claim UAAP high school hoops MVP </a></div>Now with Ateneo, the 18-year-old will be able to play under Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin and his father Louie, who is part of the coaching staff.&quot;Well, it&#x27;s more of the commitment and the interest of Coach Tab. I mean, [him] going to the US just to see me a couple times, laying down what he wants to do with me and what he sees in me, what he sees in me that I can do in the future, so I think that was really the main thing,&quot; Alas shared.&quot;I’m just going to do what Coach Tab says. He’s pretty much the GOAT of Philippine coaches,&quot; he responded when asked about what role he will play with Ateneo.Following only one training day with Ateneo, Alas scored 16 points in a tune-up game against Adamson on Wednesday.Despite only being with the Blue Eagles for a brief period so far, Alas believes he will be able to adapt to the system, especially with players like Jared Bahay around.&quot;I don&#x27;t think it&#x27;s just individuals, because I think it&#x27;s more a team game. So, I mean, with our practices so far, I feel like we&#x27;re capable enough to do it. So, we just have to stay locked in and focus the rest of the season,&quot; he said.&quot;Oh, I think it&#x27;s good we got the win. We did it without our new recruits, like Travis Roberts, and we have a couple more coming. So, if we can win it without those one-and-done guys, I feel like we&#x27;re capable of bringing it home,&quot; he said.When asked about the player he&#x27;s excited to face, he responded with De La Salle Green Archer Jacob Cortez.Following his return, Alas knows more eyes will be on him and Ateneo in the upcoming UAAP season.&quot;Well, I hope it brings a target on my team because I really want to grow as a player. And so, with a target on my team, that&#x27;s really going to help us improve and improve. So, that&#x27;s what I bring,&quot; he said.For now, the 18-year-old will keep on working on his game so he can bring the crown back to Katipunan.

Now that he's back home, Kieffer Alas is out to prove he's only a rookie by age and not by skill.

Now that he's back home, Kieffer Alas is out to prove he's only a rookie by age and not by skill.

UAAP: Kieffer Alas out to prove himself with Ateneo Blue Eagles

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UAAP: Kieffer Alas out to prove himself with Ateneo Blue Eagles

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 19, 2026 11:31 PM PHT

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Ateneo de Manila University

Kieffer Alas

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