By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It’s pretty obvious that the San-En NeoPhoenix will be looking to build their team around Filipino sensation Thirdy Ravena.
Despite an injury-ridden debut season with the Japanese basketball club, the NeoPhoenix still renewed Ravena with a multiple-year contract, the team happily announced.
Ravena only managed to play a total of 18 games under the NeoPhoenix due to a couple of injuries and averaged 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game.
“He brought overwhelming power and a bright future to our club. As a result, I don’t think I was satisfied, but he adapted to life in Japan and as a professional player. There are only great expectations for his further growth with our team,” said President and CEO of NeoPhoenix Kenjiro Hongo.
The former Ateneo King Eagle was even selected for the Japan B. League All-Star game and featured several highlight plays with San-En including his signature chase-down blocks and athletic plays driving to the basket.
Ravena was starting to be a crowd favorite in their homecourt and always electrified the fans with his all-out effort both on the offensive and defensive end.
“His aggressive play is something no one else can imitate. I am confident that his aggressive play will be a problem for years to come, leading the team to victory,” said general manager Hideki Higashi.
Ravena will have the chance for a huge bounce-back season after dealing with several injuries in his debut.
“I just want to thank the NeoPhoenix organization for the trust and support they’ve given ever since I got here. It was indeed a tough time for me last season, having to miss a lot of games and not being able to help the team as much as I wanted to,” shared Ravena.
