By JEREMIAH SEVILLA
SMART CLARK GIGA CITY – Kevin Alas is just tired of losing.
The NLEX team captain admitted that he spoke with his teammates before their game against TNT last Thursday night.
The message was brief but it was loud and clear.
“Bago dumating sa game nag-iisip ako ng mga sasabihin para ma-motivate ‘yung mga kasama ko. So I just said, ‘Pare manalo naman tayo,'” said the 28-year-old cager as the Road Warriors only had a lone win in six outings before the game.
“Hindi ko na alam kung paano tayo mamo-motivate pa. Isipin na lang natin na ang daming nag-i-inspire sa’tin, for the family of course, para lahat tayo masaya. Bigay natin lahat. Pakamatay tayo sa bola and everything.'”
Those words were enough to kickstart a different vibe among the Road Warriors, and it was so evident they defeated the league’s best team in bubble – the Tropang Giga – via a 109-98 stunner at the AUF Sports Arena.
As expected, the young skipper led by example, spearheading the late charge of NLEX that saw him getting a bloody nose following an accidental hit by TNT guard Jayson Castro late in the first half of the highly-physical affair.
Alas scattered away 11 of his 24 points in the final frame where they pulled away en route to its second win in seven games in the 45th PBA Philippine Cup.
The 6-foot guard also tallied six rebounds, three steals and two assists in over 30 minutes of action.
The former Letran star’s gutsy performance drew praises from no less than NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao.
“Kevin’s our team captain. He was elected by the team and he showed why they elected him as team captain. Pinakita niya ‘yung leadership niya, not by mere words but by action,” said Guiao.
“Kevin is a warrior. Kaya nga siguro Road Warriors kami. He showed his leadership, he showed what stuff he’s made of and I’m proud of him,” added the respected mentor.
Alas, who won a championship with TNT in 2015, is hoping that their win against his former team will spark a turnaround in their campaign in the bubble conference.
“Hopefully, it’s a start of something good for us. Of course, we’ll take it one game at a time.”
