MANILA, Philippines—Thirdy Ravena had his best offensive game of the UAAP Season 82 men’s basketball tournament but a late-game blunder completely erased what he had done in the eyes of head coach Tab Baldwin.
With Ateneo leading Adamson 75-68 with less than half a minute left, Ravena made the mistake of putting some help defense on Lenda Douanga on the baseline and thus leaving Jerrick Ahanmisi wide open for the late three that cut the Blue Eagles’ lead to four, 75-71, with around 21 seconds left.
For some, defending a person underneath is the more sensible option but what Ravena did was directly against what Baldwin instructed the Blue Eagles.
“Ahanmisi’s play at the end was, honestly, what kept them alive in the game,” said Ravena in Filipino after Ateneo’s 80-74 win over the Soaring Falcons Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Coach Tab actually communicated that to us, the exact same play, yet I didn’t follow it because I thought he [Simon Camacho] was going to pass it to Douanga in the baseline so I helped and left Jerrick open.”
Ravena finished the game with 23 points, his highest this season, four rebounds, and five assists but that defensive breakdown in the final moments earned him bench time.
Just a few seconds after Ahanmisi’s field goal, Ravena was subbed out for Mike Nieto and he received some verbal lashing from Baldwin.
“The game should’ve been over, but he made the shot and that gave them a chance to take the win,” said Ravena. “Personally this is a terrible feeling because I let my team down.”
“I let my team down, I didn’t listen to coach and it’s my fault. It’s something to improve on.”