Kiefer Ravena, Philippine basketball’s highly-regarded young talent, officially returned to action on Sunday night after serving a 15-month Fiba ban.
And there was basically nothing to notice—except that he was just as lethal as his last game.
Ravena came off the bench for Gilas Pilipinas and registered 11 points, two rebounds, and a steal in just 17 minutes in a tune-up game against the Adelaide 36ers for his first organized basketball game since his suspension.
The 25-year-old guard drew ooohs and aaahs from a sparse crowd in that closed-door contest. His first basket was a layup off a steal. He also shot an audacious pull-up triple to keep the Aussies within striking range in an 85-76 loss for the Filipinos.
And yet, Ravena feels he has a long way to go until he regains his groove.
“There’s still a lot to work on. Hopefully, I can catch up,” said Ravena, who admitted heaving a sigh of relief just as he entered the court.
“I didn’t need to hide anymore. I didn’t have to think what I couldn’t do,” he said. “I’m back playing the sport that I love and representing my country to the highest and best of my abilities.”
Yeng Guiao, his coach at both NLEX and Gilas, said he was left in awe by his ward.
“I’m satisfied. I’m impressed, actually,” he said. “It’s his first game back but it was impressive. Actually, I was even thinking of putting him back in the end game but I felt that I’d just save him for the time being.”
“He will still get better. And the good thing about him is that he also contributes off the floor,” Guiao added. “As young as he is, he is well-respected and is considered a leader.”
Ravena’s first official game will be in the Fiba World Cup this Saturday in Foshan in China as the Nationals open their Fiba World Cup bid against Italy.
And Ravena, based on what he said, will let it all hang out from there and make up for lost time.