Photo by Sherwin Vardeleon/INQUIRER
Kiefer Ravena may be the youngest player in the Gilas Pilipinas roster, but he showed on Monday that he can already hang with the big boys.
Ravena was vital in the Philippines’ comeback victory over Chinese Taipei as he was part of the second group that got the team going after trailing by as much as 14 points early in the game.
National team coach Chot Reyes wasn’t suprised with Ravena’s showing considering that the 24-year-old guard already has vast international experience.
“I’m not surprised because Kiefer is already ripe. He was a part of that second group, that energy group that really gave us a lift and got us back in the ball game,” said Reyes.
Ravena, the second overall pick in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft collected nine points, five assists, two rebounds, and a steal as he and his fellow substitutes June Mar Fajardo and Calvin Abueva sparked Gilas’ rally.
The former Ateneo Blue Eagle didn’t expect to have such an impact in the game after coming off a silent outing against Japan.
“Even I was surprised,” he said. “But I knew that I had to suck everything up and try to contribute. If I can’t score or I’m not the main scorer of the team, I have to make stops, try to get steals, try to get easy points on lay-ups.”
It also helps that Ravena is familiar with majority of the Chinese Taipei players, whom he had faced in the 2017 Jones Cup last July.
“Most of these guys, we’ve played against in the Jones Cup in Taipei. They just turned it up a notch, especially knowing that they lost their first game so it was practically a must-win for them here,” he said.
“They practically surprised us at the start. Our game plan was to make Quincy Davis shoot from outside, but he was making it. It was a good thing that he got in foul trouble and our bigs played well, especially June Mar.”
Ravena’s showing against Chinese Taipei could be considered as his breakout game in the senior’s level, but he doesn’t want to get lost in the glitter of his performance.
“I just try to contribute in whatever way I can, whether it be playing defense with the point guard or making sure that when kuya Jayson (Castro) rests, there won’t be any let-ups,” he said. “We’re just about giving energy, us Calvin (Abueva) and (Roger) Pogoy. That’s our role in this team.”