In the annual showcase of the best of the best Filipino young talent, Saturday inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena, Kieffer Alas was the superstar of superstars.
Alas took home two wins in the 2024 Smart-NBTC adidas All-Star Saturday, first topping the adidas Skills Challenge and then showing the way for Team Hustle past Team Heart, 114-106, in the adidas All-Star Game.
The no. 2-ranked under-19 player in the Philippines and lead guard of De La Salle Zobel waxed hot with 24 points and was backstopped by Gilas Pilipinas Youth stalwart Jacob Bayla who churned in 14 and NCAA Season 99 Juniors Finals MVP Titing Manalili who had 11.
Early on, Alas and Bayla teamed up to put on a show with a sequence of dunks, even as Andy Gemao answered them with his own aerial acrobatics for Team Heart whose effort was fronted by Far Eastern University-Diliman’s Veejay Pre 20 points.
In the side events preceding the exhibition, the son of multi-titled mentor Louie and younger brother of NLEX star Kevin also led Team Smalls to victory in the adidas Skills Challenge.
Other winners include Team Global (Triple Threat New Zealand’s KC Ioane, Fil-Euro Nation Select’s Tim Broth, Filcom Italy’s Lorenzo Dimayuga, and Top Flight Canada’s Allen Vergara) in the adidas Shooting Stars, Mick Geronimo (Pusong Pinoy Marinduque) in the adidas Three-Point Shootout, and Winnie Fernandez (STI-West Negros University) in the adidas Slam Dunk Contest.
Meanwhile, Karylle Sierba’s 21-point outing let Team Pride fend off Team Passion in the first-ever adidas Girls All-Star Game.
Another milestone was reached by the Philippine national under-19 basketball championship also supported by adidas, Molten, Swish, and Farm Fresh Dairy as it staged its inaugural Manila Showcase that pitted the NBTC Nationals Prospects against the Manila Live Aspirants.
In this one, the NBTC Nationals Prospects hacked out a come-from-behind 104-97 triumph over the Manila Live Aspirants.
The curtains close on the NBTC National Finals on Sunday still at the same venue, as UAAP champion Adamson High School and last year’s finalist Fil-Am Nation Select dispute the Division 1 title, while Top Flight Canada and Eco Green Technology-Makati battle for the Division 2 crown.
