Ateneo’s Alas, Sam Reyes share near-death experiences in Aurora camp

Ateneo guard Kieffer Alas dribbles past his defender during a game against Adamson in the Filoil Preseason Cup on June 6.–Photo from Filoil

MANILA, Philippines—Ateneo men’s basketball players Kieffer Alas and Sam Reyes said they barely survived the drowning incident that killed two of their teammates, Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili, during a training camp in Dipaculao, Aurora on June 8.

Alas and Reyes recounted the tragedy and the events leading up to it in the Let’s Talk with Pia Hontiveros podcast on Tuesday.

“I really don’t know how to swim. My head wasn’t straight because I did not know what to do. I already gave up at that point,” Alas said after a series of big waves swept players into the deeper parts of the ocean during a water exercise.

“I was going down and down. I was gonna accept na mawawala na po ako (that I was going to die). Then after more seconds had gone by, I felt my feet touch the sand. There was a glimmer of hope, so I jumped and gasped for air.”

Alas, this year’s most sought after prospect, also said he didn’t know how to swim and that he was under the water for about 20 seconds.

READ: UAAP calls for prompt, thorough probe into Ateneo players’ deaths

Luckily for Alas, his 6-foot-10 teammate Malcolm Tyler was there to rescue him.

Reyes, a transferee from University of Santo Tomaso who is in his second year with the Blue Eagles, also admitted giving up before Alas was able to drag him out of the water.

“The waves were still coming in and we went farther and farther back… At that point, I was already thinking that if I wasn’t able to get out of this, I’m going to die. I was in total panic. I was trying to swim back to shore but no matter how hard I try to swim, I wasn’t going anywhere,” Reyes said.

The two shared that the players realized that “something was wrong” when the second wave, which was “bigger than them,” hit.

“After the second wave, one of our teammates, Kyle Gambler, started screaming for help. He got separated and got swept to the back from the middle,” Alas said.

“Third wave, that’s when everyone started screaming because we couldn’t touch the ground,” he added.