ALAS ‘OUT’ SA GILAS BOYS SA FIBA U17 WORLD CUP

HINDI makakasama si Kieffer Alas sa roster ng Gilas Pilipinas para sa FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024 makaraang magtamo ng knee injury sa huling  tuneup game ng koponan laban sa Canada.

Kukunin ni Champ Arejola ang puwesto ni Alas sa Final 12.

“On initial examination by our team doctor, he had a functionally stable knee and the official result of his MRI determined Kieffer has a sprained ACL,” wika ni head coach Josh Reyes.

“His knee is swollen and he’ll be out for three weeks. We will be monitoring his situation closely.”

Si Alas ay hindi nakapaglaro sa unang tuneup match ng koponan laban sa Egypt sa Istanbul, Turkey dahil sa stomach illness. Sa kasawiang-palad, ang kanilang pangalawang nakaiskedyul na tuneup game laban sa Guinea ay kinansela ng African team na sasabak sa Group B.

Gayunman, naisaayos ng Gilas ang isa pang tuneup laban sa isang malakas na koponan sa Canada, na target ang podium finish sa kumpetisyon.

“It was unfortunate because we were playing really well against Canada in the first half,” sabi ni Reyes. “Against Egypt, we struggled and we didn’t have Kieffer so it was important for us to find another tuneup game to give him a chance to play.”

“Kieffer was doing a great job in playmaking, rebounding, and playing defense and this is his value to the squad, more than his scoring,” dagdag pa ng head coach.

Ang Gilas ay lumamang ng hanggang pitong puntos sa second period kontra Canada subalit inalat sa kalagitnaan ng  quarter nang masaktan ang kaliwang tuhod ni Alas habang nagda-drive sa basket.

“We were playing really good basketball at that point. We used our new sets, played good defense, and rebounded well against a team with four players taller than 6-foot-8. It really felt that the teams starter believing we could compete at this level,” ani Reyes. “We still led by two at the end of the second quarter and only played until the third. It’s a tough break for us but the rest of the team is motivated to play together. We’re praying for good results on Kieffer’s MRI but we have to move forward and quickly figure out how to play without him.”

Ang Gilas ay nasa Group A kasama ang Lithuania, Spain, at Puerto Rico.