MANILA, Philippines -- Kieffer Alas has played only two UAAP games, but expectations for the rookie already resemble those placed on a veteran.
Perhaps that is the burden that comes with being as good as Kieffer Alas.
The 19-year-old is the kind of freshman expected to shoulder a heavy load, especially for an Ateneo team that has endured an unimaginable emotional and mental battle over the past three months following the sudden deaths of student-athletes Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia.
But against UP on Saturday night, Alas got his first real taste of what the UAAP can throw at him.
Alas scored 10 points but was limited to just two attempts and three points in the second half as the Fighting Maroons routed Ateneo, 94-75.
"It's our first real loss, after two months [of preseason]. I think this is the first real test we had, so I guess we just got to learn from it," Alas said after the game.
After a blistering first game against UE, when Alas dropped 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting in a 101-74 Ateneo rout, UP made sure he would not have the same freedom on offense.
The Fighting Maroons' defense constantly top-locked him on off-ball screens and blitzed him on pick-and-rolls, forcing the rookie to work for every touch, especially in the second half.
It was unlike anything Alas had seen in the preseason or against UE, where he looked a cut above the competition.
UP, however, pulled him back to earth with a defensive masterclass built on physicality, aggressive ball denial and relentless pressure.
"UP is known for that, so we expected it, so I guess we just have to do better in maintaining our rhythm from the first half," Alas, the former UAAP high school MVP, said of the Fighting Maroons, a program that had been in the UAAP Finals for the last five years.
"It's Philippine basketball, rugged, and I'm just going to fight for every possession, really."
Offensive drought for Ateneo came when Alas did not start the second half. Without their biggest scoring threat on the floor, the Blue Eagles watched UP rip off a 12-4 run to turn a one-point lead at halftime into a 58-49 lead for the Fighting Maroons midway through the third quarter. From there, the Fighting Maroons never looked back.
Ateneo struggled to generate the same offensive rhythm without Alas. His gravity alone creates openings for his teammates, whether he has the ball in his hands or is simply moving around the floor.
And as teams begin to devote more attention to stopping him, Ateneo will need the likes of Andrew Bongo, Shawn Tuano, Waki Espina, Travis Roberts and Grayson Rogers to make the most of the opportunities that come their way.
By the time Alas returned to the floor, Ateneo had already fallen into a deep hole and UP was clicking on all cylinders.
The Blue Eagles managed just 30 points in the second half while UP poured in 48. Jared Bahay did his best to carry the offense for Ateneo, especially in the second half to finish with 17 points.
For all the challenges, however, this was exactly the kind of game Alas needed to experience.
Ateneo head coach Louie Alas, Kieffer's father, believes his son will bounce back from his first significant setback in the UAAP.
"He's very strong-headed. But, in a positive way. Because he's a winner. He wants to win," Louie said.
Now that Alas has seen firsthand how physical the UAAP can be, he can turn to the lessons from his time training in the United States last year, when he was still pursuing an NCAA Division I offer.
"Coming from the US, I think it helped me a lot. So, I feel like they prepared me a lot for this game," Alas said.
Alas, however, is not interested in forcing the issue just to live up to the expectations surrounding his name.
"I'm just going to take what the defense gives me. That's my way to help the team."
