Kiefer Ravena talks to Jayson Castro during Gilas practice. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Kiefer Ravena was ready to play even though he wasn’t really expecting he’d get any minutes.
Ravena, a superstar in his own right, didn’t play a single second in Gilas Pilipinas’ back-to-back tune-up games but there wasn’t a time when he felt an ounce of frustration for being benched.
Ravena knows what his role is for the star-studded national team and as the youngest player, the most celebrated collegiate basketball player in his era is aware he just couldn’t be the same player he’s used to being when he’s with Gilas.
“That’s how it is. You just have to adjust, you have to find a way, find your niche on the team and earlier we saw how tiring it was for the team when Iran was making their run and we just wanted to pump them up and provide them energy while on the bench,” said Ravena following Gilas Pilipinas’ 81-70 win over Iran on Wednesday night.
Ravena, along with backup naturalized player Moala Tautuaa, were the only players who didn’t get playing time for Gilas.
The two have been practicing with the national team pool here but head coach Tab Baldwin has already ruled out their participation in Gilas’ three-week training camp in Europe.
The 22-year-old Ravena has no hard feelings. What he got is the invaluable experience while being around players who have been in the PBA and have played in big international tournaments for so long.
“It’s a really good experience for me. It’s a gauge of where you are. I wasn’t really able to play, just practices but you can see that there have been a lot of improvements waiting to happen,” he said.