If you were to ask basketball prodigy Kieffer Alas to describe his dad, he would only say these words: he is like a military general.
The elder Louie, coach and father, is the leader of his Alas troops, laying out the plan for his sons’ sporting careers and ensuring its execution.
They then work as a unit.
With Louie keeping watch, his sons do their daily drills in practice, finetuning their weapons on the court before heading out for battle – a lifelong journey of reaching the pinnacle of his brood’s potential.
Together, they strive to reach heights in basketball, a path the elder Alas chose when he was at the crossroads of picking up a gun in the military or a ball on the court.
This approach has worked so far, producing four sons who have made their own impact in the sport.
The latest of them is 18-year-old Kieffer, who copped the Most Valuable Player plum in the UAAP Season 87 juniors division last March before heading to the US last August to pursue his dream of playing in the NCAA Division 1 and, eventually, the NBA.
“Both on the court and off the court, he is strict. Parang general,” former De La Salle Zobel star Kieffer told One Sports.
“Just the little things he wants me to improve on… He just wants us to improve.”
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From the battlefield to the basketball court
Playing a dual role in his kids’ lives, Louie handled his elder two sons, Kristoffer and Kevin, as the chief tactician of the Letran Knights in the NCAA until 2012.
What appeared to be a frustration in Louie's younger days came to fruition in his chosen career as he was able to apply a military-like discipline in guiding his sons on the court.
“Noong nasa Adamson ako, nag-enlist ako sa Army. Kaya lang talagang kahit gustung-gusto kong magsundalo, mas mahal ko ang basketball. So na-impart sa’kin ng mga generals ‘yong about discipline. Parang nadala ko sa kanila,” Louie, now Ateneo Blue Eagles deputy in the UAAP, shared to One Sports.
The young Alases thus became the measuring stick of discipline with the Knights.
This led to some misunderstandings on the part of Kristoffer and Kevin, who felt that their dad, Louie, only saw their mistakes and not their improvements.
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Rides home from practice thus became tense, with his sons giving him the silent treatment even when it was time to bond as father and son, and not as coach and player.
"Minsan, puwede naman akong maging negligent na pabayaan ko na ito, napakaliit na bagay na lang. Pero hindi ko mapagbigyan," said Louie.
"Ganoon ako ka-disciplinarian. Parang nauuna ang pagka-coach ko kaysa sa pagiging tatay... Kasi sobrang hard talaga ako. Talagang sinasabi ko sa kanila, 'Mas gugustuhin kong magalit na kayo ngayon sa akin kaysa hindi ko kaya tsitsekin sa mga small things. [Ayaw kong] darating ang araw na sasabihin ninyo na, 'Si Dad alam namang [mali] 'yong ginawa ko, hindi ako tsinek.'"
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While Louie admitted that he had regrets — he hoped he had given his sons a little leeway seeing how professional and responsible they turned out to be early in their careers — the end product speaks for itself.
Louie, then Alaska's assistant coach in the PBA, saw his sons Kevin and Kristoffer get drafted in the league in 2014.
Kevin, the second overall pick at the time, is still strutting his stuff in the PBA with the NLEX Road Warriors, while Kristoffer, picked 16th then, is now coaching in basketball camps while working as a call center agent.
Kenneth, who played for the Letran Squires before transferring to the San Beda Red Cubs in the juniors division and went on to play for the same school in college, is currently playing for the Zamboanga Masters Sardines in the MPBL.
And now, it is Kieffer who stands to benefit from his dad's guidance as he takes his first huge step toward his dream: suiting up for the Layton Christian Academy in Utah for his senior year in high school.
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It also helps that Kieffer has his siblings behind him, who can look back with hindsight and assure their youngest brother that indeed, their dad, Louie, knows best.
"Dito kay Kieffer, kahit napagagalitan ko 'yan, na-e-explain ni Junjun (Kristoffer's nickname) at ni Kevin na, 'Ten years ago, hindi ko naiintindihan si Dad. Ito ngayon, nakikita ko sa'yo. I hope you understand, kahit hindi basketball matters,'" said Louie.
"Sinasabi ni Kevin, kapag nakikita niyang itinuturo ko kay Kieffer, 'Itinuro na sa'kin ni Dad 'to. How I wish sinunod ko na.'"
Kieffer, next in line
With his dad, Louie, and three brothers treading the same basketball path, it is only natural for Kieffer to follow suit.
"Isinasama ko lang sila sa lahat ng [basketball] events. Then siguro, na-instill na sa kanila. Kapag hindi mo na isinama, nagtatampo na. Siguro, nasa DNA na rin," said Louie.
"Everytime may mga practices at libre sila, pumupunta sila sa practices para makapag-bonding na rin kami. Advantage para kay Kieffer, nakikita niyang lahat 'yan. 'Yong mga small things sa basketball, ang aga niyang na-expose," he also said.
Photo: Kristina Villanueva
Kieffer used to tag along in Louie's training sessions with Letran and with Alaska.
There, at just six years old, he would show glimpses of his basketball prowess.
"Minsan, si Kieffer, nagsyu-shooting 'yan doon [during Alaska practices]. Nakaka-consecutive [made baskets] 'yang sampu. So ako, hindi ko pinapansin. Nakikita siya nina coach Luigi (Trillo) at coach Alex (Compton). [They would say,] ‘Shooter, ah," said Louie.
It was when Kieffer began playing for De La Salle Zobel in Grade 3 that Louie and his wife Liza saw Kieffer's full potential. They then vowed, together with their three elder sons, to fully support Kieffer, willingly making sacrifices along the way.
"Nakita ko, ang bilis ng improvement. 'Yon talaga ang hindi na namin hinintuan ni Liza, 'Sige, samahan na natin.' Minsan nga talagang wala kaming day off, nag-o-off kami for him, pati ang mga kuya niya," said Louie.
With the example that his father, Louie, and his brothers have set, it did not take much to keep Kieffer firmly focused on his goal.
"Itong si Kieffer, sa sarili niya, nakuha niya 'yong formula on how to be a good player," said Louie.
"Naging responsible siya at talagang hardworking. Although pinush ko siya in the early part of his love of basketball, noong na-in love na siya sa basketball, hindi mo na siya kailangang itulak.
"Minsan nagigising akong may note na lang: 'Dad, just pick me up.' Nandoon na siya sa training center, nandoon na siya sa venue ng strength and conditioning niya. 'Yon ang naging sikreto ni Kieffer talaga: super hardworking. And I’m expecting him, especially dito sa paglalaro niya sa Utah, na sana mas madagdagan niya pa ang pagkakaroon ng sarili niyang pagsisikap."
(To be continued)
Interview by Jan Ballesteros; Photos by RM Chua, assisted by Xander Cipriano and Jan Ballesteros; Produced by Kristina Villanueva
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Kristina Villanueva is a sports journalist who is passionate about telling the stories of athletes on and off the court.
She believes that the greatness of these sportsmen begins not in the presence of loud cheers of spectators nor under the bright lights of the grandest stage, but in the quietness of their hard work behind the scenes and their dedication to get better in the pursuit of their dreams.