Your new Gilas favorite may have just arrived.
For every setback, there’s always a silver lining. Sometimes you just have to try hard in order to find it. There are times, however, when the silver lining is obvious. Such is the case with Gilas Pilipinas Youth squad and its recently concluded campaign in Doha, Qatar.
Batang Gilas suffered back-to-back lopsided defeats in its final two games in the FIBA U16 Asian Championship. The latest came on Sunday night as China dealt the young Filipino hoopers an 87-59 beating to claim the bronze medal. Leading the way for the Chinese squad was Boyuan Zhang who scored 34 points, including 7 three-pointers. As bad as the loss seems, the big picture says that the future of Gilas is brighter than ever.
A big reason to remain hopeful if you’re a Filipino hoops fan is Kieffer Alas. The 16-year-old wing showed out across the entire competition and was named to the tournament's All-Star Five. Averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals through seven games, the De La Salle Zobel standout joined MVP Oscar Goodman and Lachlan Crate of New Zealand, along with Zhang and Australia’s Henry Sewell as the tournament’s top performers.
Before the games began, Batang Gilas’s lineup was deemed by some pundits to be lacking in firepower. But as the tourney progressed, Alas somehow was able to allay that concern. His scoring prowess was next-level, and it culminated in an unforgettable performance in the quarterfinals. Against Japan, Kevin Alas’ younger brother exploded for 29 points, while also recording 9 boards and 3 dimes. As a result, the Philippines completed a comeback win, and more importantly, punched a ticket to next year's FIBA U17 World Cup.
Another young Filipino cager who deserves a special mention is Gab Ludovice. Dropping 25 points against South Korea, the 5-foot-9 guard helped Batang Gilas break the so-called “Korean Curse” in FIBA youth tourneys. Ludovice averaged 10.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per contest.
(GM)