Veteran Larry Fonacier may have won several titles, but he knows that he isn’t the leader of the NLEX Road Warriors which he recently joined.
“I know this is Kevin’s team,” Fonacier said, referring to third-year guard Kevin Alas who has been playing well for the squad at the start of the Oppo PBA Governors’ Cup.
“I’m not coming here to be the star or anything. No need to step on other people’s shoes.”
Alas has been instrumental in NLEX’s 2-0 start to the conference, averaging 16.5 points to lead locals while also tallying 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
The former Letran Knight credited the team’s recent moves for his resurgence.
“Siguro coincidence lang nung sinabi ni Coach Yeng (Guiao) na open to trades yung team and then gumanda laro ko,” Alas said. “Siguro nung dumating yung mga players like Larry, JR (Quinahan), Alex (Mallari), I felt we had better chemistry. Parang na-balance yung young guns and veterans.”
For Alas, playing alongside these players rich in championship experience has definitely made everybody look good.
“Mas naging madali yung basketball sa akin kasi veterans yung mga yun. Parang kapag kasabay mo sila sa loob, parang nagbabasahan na lang kayo. We’ve built the chemistry before the start of the conference. I hope we can be consistent,” Alas said.
True enough, Alas has been getting some sort of mentorship from his veteran teammates including Fonacier.
“I always remind him to be himself,” Fonacier said. “For me, I think it’s his team. It showed in the first game. That was a heck of a game for him. I think he can play like that the whole conference.”
