Mel Alas

Who is Mel Alas?

Carmelo Alas was born and raised in Unisan, Quezon, Philippines. Coach Mel as he is commonly known, is a Filipino basketball coach who is a Computer Engineer by profession. As a kid, he dreamt of being a pilot or lawyer. But even then, his passion for sports was already evident. He was into ball games such as softball, baseball, tennis, bowling, and of course basketball.

After obtaining a degree from Adamson University, he practiced his profession as an employee of the Department of Finance, one of the Philippine government agencies. But after a couple of years, his unambiguous love for basketball was unveiled. He first worked with the elementary and high school basketball teams of the San Beda College of Alabang, wherein he got a taste of his first championship.

Since then, his achievements in the field of basketball became unstoppable. In 2000, he worked with coach Ronel Leuterio, as the later's assistant coach in the basketball team of the Las Pinas College. After coach Ronel left the team, coach Mel spearheaded the LPC Huskies. As the new head coach, he lead his team into numerous championships and brought home a couple of trophies as well.

In 2003, while still handling the LPC Huskies, coach Mel started working with his elder brother, coach Louie Alas, who was then the head coach of the Letran Knights, college basketball team of the Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Manila. The team lead by the duo became noted for being a strong and solid team. A lot of trophies and recognition serve as proof. Not to mention the key players they have produced who are now already a part of the Philippine Basketball Association, the country's premier basketball league. He also served as the assistant coach for the Philippine Basketball League's Toyota Otis team alongside his brother, coach Louie.