Perpetual’s Amiel Acido is Kieffer Alas’ anticipated team-up in NBTC

NCAA high school standout Amiel Acido is one of the anticipated players of De La Salle Santiago Zobel’s Kieffer Alas once they play in the 2024 edition of the National Basketball Training Center.

The two high school stars are part of the NBTC 24 which will play in the All-Star event of the tournament.

“Actually, me and Amiel [Acido], we met lang last year kasi sa NBTC. And ‘yun, we became friends after that,” Alas said when asked who he is looking forward to in the tournament.

(Actually, Amiel and I met just last year in the NBTC. We became friends after that.)

Aside from meeting each other the previous year, both players also hail from the south of Metro Manila, with Alas’ school in Muntinlupa and Acido’s University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in Las Piñas.

“He’s from the south din, he’s from Las Piñas so we get to see each other sa mga tuneups. Parang may bond ‘yung mga taga-south.”

(He’s from the south also, he’s from Las Piñas so we get to see each other in the tuneups. It’s like people from the south have this kind of bond.)

Alas said he also looks forward to going against Jared Bahay of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.

“Since he’s from Cebu, I never got to go against him so it’s a blessing to go against the number one player in the country,” Alas said in jest.

Alas, one of the sons of coach Louie and a brother to pro player Kevin, was named in the UAAP Season 86 Mythical Team as he posted averages of 20.36 points, 10.82 rebounds, 5.27 assists, and 1.27 steals in 11 games. He was also part of the Gilas Pilipinas youth team which played in the FIBA U16 Asian where he had averages of 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

Acido, meanwhile, is the NCAA Most Valuable Player frontrunner as he averaged 17.67 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 4.11 assists at the end of the elimination round. He was also part of the NCAA Mythical Team in Season 98.

Bahay, Alas, and Acido are the top three Under-19 players of the NBTC 24 which will play in the All-Star Game on March 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Acido, however, will see action first in the NCAA Season 99 Juniors Basketball Finals as the Junior Altas face Colegio de San Juan de Letran in a best-of-three finals which will start on Saturday, March 16.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News