Gilas Youth rules SEABA qualifiers, books spot in U16 Asian Championship | Sports Desk - video Dailymotion

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Gilas Pilipinas Youth dominating the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship SEABA qualifiers in Surabaya, Indonesia last week.   The national squad captured their fifth straight title, finishing this year's tournament with a 3-0 card and an average winning margin of 30 points against Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The team also booked a spot in the FIBA Under 16 Asian Championship happening from September 17 to 24 in Doha, Qatar.  We're going all out on this story with Gilas Youth head coach Josh Reyes and the team's top scorer Kieffer Alas, both joining us via Zoom.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Gila's Filipinas youth dominating the FIB Under 16 Asian Championship,

00:03 Siapa qualifiers in Surabaya, Indonesia.

00:06 Last week, the national squad captured their fifth straight title,

00:09 finishing this year's tournament with a 3-0 card

00:12 and an average winning margin of 30 points against Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

00:18 The team also booked a spot in the FIB Under 16 Asian Championship,

00:21 which will happen from September 17th until the 24th in Doha, Qatar.

00:28 Let's go all out on this particular story with Gila's Filipinas youth head coach,

00:33 Josh Reyes, and the team's top scorer, Kiefer Alas,

00:36 both of whom joining us via Zoom are the future of Philippine basketball,

00:40 Coach Josh, future Philippine coaching,

00:42 and also Kiefer Alas, the future of Philippine basketball.

00:45 Coach Josh, magandang gabi.

00:47 Thank you again for being on the show.

00:48 Magandang gabi.

00:50 Yes, magandang gabi, Andre. I'm happy to be here again.

00:53 This time with more positive news.

00:54 Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

00:57 Coach, I'd like to greet Kiefer,

00:59 because I told you, Kiefer is 16 years old now,

01:02 but when I first met the kid, he was just a little boy.

01:06 He's here.

01:09 Kiefer, do you remember me?

01:11 Yes, I remember you.

01:14 Okay. What do you call me? Just "Kuya"?

01:17 Yes, just "Kuya."

01:19 Okay. You might call me "Tito."

01:21 "Kuya" first.

01:22 Coach, as I said, you won the tournament by an average of 30 points.

01:26 Dominating the tournament.

01:27 But was that your goal, expectation?

01:30 Because Southeast Asia is a region dominated by the Philippines in basketball.

01:36 What are your takeaways?

01:37 And also, are you content with what you saw?

01:40 Well, of course, the goal was to win every game,

01:45 to make sure that we get the number one spot,

01:48 to not leave any benefit of the doubt that we are going to qualify.

01:53 So when we started preparations for Seattle,

01:57 the message to the team was,

01:59 "We're not coming in defending a title or defending our status.

02:04 We are coming in as hunters.

02:05 We will hunt for this number one seed.

02:08 We will hunt for the championship.

02:10 And the work that we'll put in is geared towards us.

02:13 We will come in and hunt it down."

02:15 And in terms of being satisfied, of course, as a coach,

02:19 there's always room to improve.

02:21 But in terms of our young guys coming in and trying to play the right way,

02:27 trying to play in terms of not really focusing on the quality of our game,

02:31 I'm pretty satisfied with that and proud of our team.

02:36 Alas, the kid. It's his time.

02:38 Of course, we know the name, Alas.

02:40 Coach Louie, championship coach,

02:44 and then his brother Kevin, even his older brothers, I got to cover.

02:48 Now it's Kiefer's turn.

02:50 Kiefer, congratulations, by the way.

02:53 You showed us something.

02:54 What can you say about the quality of competition in the Siaba Qualifiers?

02:57 And are you happy with the way you played?

02:59 Actually, the level of competition there, I think it was very beatable

03:08 because our team, for me, we can...

03:09 I feel like we can make it to the World Cup.

03:12 But it was a good practice for us going into Doha

03:16 so that we can go in qualifiers.

03:18 So I was content with how I played,

03:23 but I think I can play better.

03:24 I just want to use that as motivation for going into Doha.

03:29 Josh, you've seen a lot of talents, young kids.

03:34 We know, the pressure is intense, right?

03:37 Kiefer's last name, Alas.

03:38 So the expectation is intense for this kid.

03:40 I said, he's still young, he's already exposed.

03:43 What can you say about what Kiefer delivered and showed there in Siaba?

03:48 Obviously, he delivered, but more than the numbers

03:52 is how he handled himself as a leader.

03:55 I believe that he establishes himself on the floor

03:57 as a leader, as an example for the rest to follow.

04:01 Whenever me and Kiefer have conversations,

04:05 whether in practice or during the game,

04:09 it's never about the scoring.

04:10 It's all about the other things he contributes.

04:13 And every time I challenge him, for example,

04:15 to defend the best player or to rebound,

04:18 at least for Siaba, he always delivered.

04:21 And I hope it continues.

04:23 And as you can see, Kiefer, he has one of the,

04:26 if not one of my players who has the most self-belief,

04:29 and that's important.

04:30 - Yeah. - That's important.

04:31 Self-belief coupled with the willingness to put in the work

04:37 comparable to the belief is a great combination to have.

04:40 Who's better? Kiefer or Kevin?

04:42 We'll answer that later.

04:44 Just kidding.

04:45 Let's take a quick break.

04:46 Teaser question, yun.

04:47 Our conversation with GILA's Youth Head Coach, Josh Reyes,

04:51 and Kiefer Alas will continue after the break.

04:53 You're watching Sports Test Only here on CNN Philippines.

04:55 We'll be right back. Stay tuned.

04:56 And we're back.

05:01 Thank you for joining us here on Sports Test Only

05:02 on CNN Philippines.

05:03 And our guest tonight, GILA's Youth Head Coach, Josh Reyes,

05:06 and Kiefer Alas, two future coach

05:09 and future ng Philippine basketball.

05:13 Okay, coach, tinanong kata kanina,

05:14 hanging question.

05:15 Sino mas magaling?

05:15 Kuya Kevin Alas o etong Kiefer Alas?

05:18 Well, if I remember correctly,

05:24 yung age ni Kevin si Kiefer is more of a slasher and an athlete.

05:32 So Kiefer is, at this age, is more of a complete player.

05:37 I'm not saying Kiefer is already a complete player.

05:40 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

05:40 More of a complete player.

05:41 Yeah.

05:42 Yari ka kay Kevin. Bakit ay text ka nun?

05:44 Kiefer, last time na na-cut ka sa roster.

05:47 Malamang meron na.

05:47 Kiefer, last time you were cut sa roster.

05:51 Now, how does it feel that this time you're part

05:53 and also one of the top scorers and talagang you delivered.

05:58 You're one of the key guys ni Coach Josh dito sa Siaba.

06:01 May mga nakuha ka rin bang tips, of course,

06:03 from Coach Louie, your dad, and also your kuya Kevin?

06:05 Honestly, I don't really feel anything about it,

06:10 because when I got cut last year, I used that as motivation.

06:13 Like, not give Coach Josh and the coaching staff a reason to cut me.

06:18 So I just kept on working hard to reach my goal of being in the national team.

06:23 Kuya Kevin and dad actually gave me some tips,

06:27 just to stay humble and stay grounded.

06:29 I think that really helped me to show my game out in the Siaba.

06:35 No, I really like your demeanor, your mindset.

06:38 Talagang laru ka lang.

06:39 You're just calm, cool.

06:41 Talagang laru lang.

06:42 Yun yung iso sa mga nakita ko, like, the highlights that we saw from that tournament.

06:47 Coach, as I said, you cruised past Malaysia and Thailand.

06:50 In the last game against Indonesia, medyo nagkari ng, di kaya te, anxious moments.

06:55 They were actually leading until early second quarter.

06:59 How did you guys pull through?

07:01 Kahit na sandali pa lang, you know,

07:04 considering the amount of time that you just had was just limited?

07:09 Well, first of all, we did not take the competition lightly.

07:13 If you look at history, it's not the first time that Siaba teams came close

07:19 to either Batanginas or even the Meso.

07:22 We know that there'll be tough competition.

07:24 So Indonesia, I mean, let's give them credit.

07:27 They fed off the big crowd.

07:29 They came ready and they hit shots, basically.

07:33 They hit their first three shots and they won.

07:37 And tough challenge shots and their confidence brought them along.

07:42 And exactly the reason why,

07:44 a couple of weeks before Siaba, we had a training camp,

07:50 a serious training camp, two-a-days, so that we can,

07:53 we called this, we called this, so that we will be swerte-proof.

07:56 So kahit na medyo swerte kalabat at mahalas,

07:59 kasi we know that we have stuff in us that can pull the victory off.

08:05 And that preparation pulled us through that game.

08:08 So even though the opposing teams were energized,

08:11 they were hitting their shots, we weren't hitting our shots.

08:14 We were actually, imagine this, we were 14 of 40 in the paint.

08:19 - What? Wow. 14 of 40?

08:21 - So 14 of 40, but our defense pulled through.

08:25 And out of the 27 field goals made, 22 of those were assisted.

08:30 So I thought that our ball movement and defense pulled us through

08:34 and eventually we pulled away once we started hitting some shots.

08:38 But this is not to discredit Indonesia.

08:40 Indonesia came out, they were ready.

08:42 They played as a team and they were as a team that had nothing to lose.

08:46 So they came out and came out very loose, started hitting shots.

08:50 We came in already qualified, so it was a challenge of our team.

08:53 How does a team like us, who are already qualified,

08:56 come out and be ready against a team who has their backs against the walls

08:59 with nothing to lose and will just go out there and play?

09:02 - Correct. That was a really great test for you.

09:05 You said you were already qualified.

09:07 That was really, Coach, a great test.

09:08 Coach, last question. We don't have a lot of time left.

09:11 But up next for you guys, the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship in September.

09:16 What countries will you be facing here?

09:19 And I understand this is a qualifier for the Under-17 World Cup.

09:24 So, yes. What are the things you need to achieve to qualify, Coach?

09:29 - For sure, for sure. We will face more talented and bigger competition.

09:36 You know, China, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia will all be there.

09:40 Iran, Lebanon. So it will be as tough as it gets.

09:45 And we really need to be, to get to another level

09:51 so that we can give ourselves a chance to qualify.

09:54 And we are going to continue our preps.

09:57 We are not resting, although we have a little break right now.

10:01 But a few kids are still coming in to try to compete for a spot.

10:05 And we will continue to prepare all the way

10:08 through the busyness of the World Cup here in Manila.

10:14 So we'll try to navigate through that and still find a way to prepare as best as we can.

10:18 - Coach, thank you for your time. I'm really happy and proud of you.

10:22 You know that.

10:22 I owe you one.

10:24 Let's eat steak at your house. You cook.

10:27 Keith, proud of you, kid.

10:29 I just met you when you were a little boy and now you're dominating.

10:32 Keep on going, kid.

10:33 Thank you so much.

10:34 You tell me where you're going to college.

10:36 Now, where are you? Zalzobel?

10:37 I'll ask you again.

10:38 Again, we just spoke to Head Coach Josh Reyes and Keith Arelas

10:42 of the GILAS Filipinas Youth Team,

10:45 which ruled the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship SIABA qualifiers

10:49 in Surabaya, Indonesia last week.

Gilas Youth rules SEABA qualifiers, books spot in U16 Asian Championship | Sports Desk

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