For Kiefer Ravena, it’s championship or bust

MANILA, Philippines – In five months, Kiefer Ravena will begin his fifth and final season as an Ateneo Blue Eagle when the UAAP Season 78 men’s basketball tournament begins.

His goal is simple: to finish his already accomplished collegiate career with another championship. In Ravena’s words, “anything else is a failure.”

“Definitely. I think [being] champions is my expectation,” Ravena told Rappler on Thursday, April 9, following his team’s loss to the NU Bulldogs in the Philippine-Australia Goodwill Invitationals at the Philsports Arena.

“For me, I would like to put pressure on myself,” he said, “but that’s just on myself because I really want to win.”

Ravena already has two titles, both won in his first two years with Ateneo when he was a youngster while current PBA players Nico Salva and Greg Slaughter led the squad.

After his junior season was struck by injuries, Ravena came back with a vengeance in 2014, winning league MVP and leading the Blue Eagles to the top seed entering the Final Four round.

But his team’s campaign came to a painful end when the underdog NU Bulldogs upset the Blue Eagles despite their twice-to-beat advantage, and subsequently won the title after defeating the FEU Tamaraws in three games.

Before his fifth year begins, Ravena is clocking in many hours of training to improve his game, including multiple practice sessions with the Blue Eagles and Sinag-Pilipinas.

The amount of practices led to concerning news on Wednesday, April 8, when it was reported Ravena went to the hospital due to dehydration.

“I had to rehydrate myself lang, but nothing serious naman (it wasn’t anything serious),” Ravena said about the situation.

“Nagkataon lang I came from a game here (at the Philsports Arena on Tuesday, April 7) then nag-practice again (with Sinag-Pilipinas at the Meralco Gym),” he said.

“[It was also] from the Holy Week break, so medyo na-bigla ako. So, yun lang. Pero it’s nothing serious. Ako na rin mismo yung parang nag sabi na I want to go to get myself checked. So yun lang.”

(It just so happened that I came from a game here then I practiced right away. It was also from the Holy Week break, so I was just staggered. That’s it. But it’s nothing serious. I myself was the one who said I wanted to get checked up.)

Ravena was reportedly dehydrated due to the “intense” practices of Sinag under national team head coach Tab Baldwin. The reigning UAAP MVP admitted that training sessions have been intense, though he sees it as a welcome challenge.

“It’s intense but at the same time, it’s a practice where we always look forward to going to because we learn a lot from Coach Tab and the other coaches,” said Ravena, who’s part of Sinag-Pilipinas’ 16-man pool along with brother and teammate Thirdy Ravena, Arnold Van Opstal, Mac Belo, and Jeron Teng, among others.

The pool will be cut down to a 12-man roster that will represent the Philippines in the 2015 SEABA and SEA games.

“Kaya pinilit ko rin talaga mag practice (that’s why I forced myself to practice) because it’s not every day you get to practice with the best college players in the Philippines, so when the opportunity comes, I would like to make the most out of it,” Ravena said.

The SEABA will take place from April 27-May 1 in Singapore, around the same time the Blue Eagles will leave for their annual summer training in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ravena is scheduled to meet his teammates after the international tournament and join them in Korea and Lithuania for the rest of the team’s offseason training camp.

“It’s another chance to bond with the new young guys and it’s going to be my last, so I would like to make the most of out it and get to learn new things again from Coach Joe [Abunassar],” said Ravena.

One of Ateneo’s challenges will be to replace the production of the graduated Nico Elorde and Chris Newsome, both of whom were starters last season. Newsome was a part of the UAAP’s First Team, averaging 14.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

“It’s really difficult for someone to replace Chris and what he’s capable of doing,” Ravena said. “But we have a lot of players who are in the mix of at least trying to fill in the spots for Chris and Nico.”

Ravena also noted that they will face a lot of challenges with their UAAP rivals improving.

“Everyone,” he says should be considered a threat for the title. “There’s NU (defending champions). There’s La Salle. FEU. UE. Everyone’s getting tougher and tougher each year.” – Rappler.com