A year ago, Kevin Alas was contemplating whether he was ready to join a loaded PBA draft class which included stars such as Greg Slaughter, Ian Sangalang, Terrence Romeo, and Letran teammate Raymond Almazan.
He decided it was not yet time. He thought he needed more time to polish his skills.
One year later, Alas now believes he’s ripe for the big stage. He will put his name in the draft and with his starring role in NLEX’s D-League triumph where he won the Most Valuable Player award, he may go as one of the top 10 picks.
Besides his successful stint with NLEX, Alas also helped Sinag Pilipinas retain the Southeast Asian Games gold medal in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar last year.
“Ito talaga yung perfect send off para sa akin. Nakapag-champion kami at may bonus pang MVP,” Alas said.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa family ko at kay coach Boyet (Fernandez) kasi sa practice talagang pinapagalitan niya ako at pine-prepare niya ako para sa PBA talaga,” he added.
With his game polished, many believe Alas can contribute immediately to whichever team picks him during the draft.
Alas’ game has improved leaps and bounds after four conferences with the Road Warriors. He said he’s no longer the one-dimensional scorer that people thought of him when he was playing for Letran.
His transition from shooting guard in his college days to a combo-guard who plays comfortably as a facilitator now will be his biggest asset heading into the PBA draft.
Consistency, as he said, in playing both roles will be the key to his success when he jumps to the pro ranks.
“Yun yung sinasabi talaga sa akin ni coach Boyet, sa PBA maganda na pwede ako mag one or two. Talagang minold niya ako mag point guard at mag two-guard. Kasi hindi naman laging makaka-shoot ka ng marami e,” he said.
“So starting last conference point guard ako ni coach Boyet at maganda naman talaga yung naidulot sa akin.”
Asked if the wait was worth it, Alas said, “Worth it na worth it yung paghihintay ko. Nakapag-champion at MVP pa at parang lalo ako nahinog. Sinabi kasi ni coach Boyet na wag muna ako magpadraft kasi gagaling pa talaga ako dito.”
Fernandez, on the other hand, is all praises to his prized guard and mentioned that he’s confident about Alas playing in the PBA.
“Kevin is the leader of the team in the point guard position. He really improved a lot and I’m happy for him. His hard work has paid off,” he said. (Christian Jacinto)