Kiefer and Mozzy Ravena: What it takes to be a champion

MANILA, Philippines – The family of Ateneo star cager Kiefer Ravena is just like any other close-knit family that enjoys shared time watching movies, television, and traveling. 

But their primary source of fun is sports. 

Kiefer’s mother, Mozzy, says members of her family can become so competitive that they even play against each other.

“We like competing with each other – mostly healthy competition – but we take our games seriously even against each other,” shares Mozzy.

Being former athletes, Mozzy and her husband, Bong, instilled the love for sports among their children – Keifer, Thirdy and Dani. Mozzy played for the UST volleyball team; Bong was a former PBA star.

“It’s our turf. Sports is like a natural thing for us. We try to analyze each other’s games and give pointers and constructive criticism. We love to watch and play different sports. We like to challenge ourselves and each other all the time,” Mozzy says.

Kiefer says his father, who was 1992 PBA Rookie of the Year, inspired him to pursue his love for basketball.

“Growing up, I watched my dad play in the big league and I always say to myself that one day, I will be there. One day, I will be better than my dad. I think that’s my driving force to become the best that I can be,” he says. 

Encouraged by their parents, Kiefer and his siblings started playing sports at a young age. Thirdy plays for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and will join his older brother’s team next school year, while Dani, a high school freshman at Miriam College, plays volleyball for her school.

Life lessons in sports

Mozzy believes in the power of sports to teach children important values such as discipline, teamwork, obedience, hard work and humility. Children exposed to sports also imbibe a healthy lifestyle early on.

Kiefer jumpstarted his basketball career by enrolling in sports clinics, particularly MILO’s Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) center.  

Mozzy says she made it a point to always attend her children’s training and games, especially those where the odds were against her children’s teams.

“To me it is very important to be there for my children especially when they’re young. In fact, I would always make it a point to be there in games where the probability of losing is big. I want to be there to explain why they lost, what lessons he could learn from it and more than anything, encourage him to be a better player next game,” she says.

Kiefer recalls how he learned to recover from a loss and move forward, after the MILO Small Basketeers of the Philippines (SBP) finals between La Salle Greenhills and Ateneo. 

“We were down by 2 points [with only a few] seconds left. I missed the game-tying shot and we lost. This event made me stronger as a person and as a player because I figured that there will be obstacles and roadblocks but it is something we cannot handle. We just have to believe in ourselves that we can bounce back and recover even better,” he says. 

Better understanding of the game

Kiefer recognizes his participation in the MILO BEST center as the first crucial step in his basketball career. It not only helped him learn the basics and the fundamentals of basketball, but also gave him a better understanding of the game. 

“It is really a simple sport yet made complicated. I just trace my roots from the BEST center on how they taught me how to play to make things easier. I guess that’s one lesson that has remained with me until now,” Kiefer says.

He says while he was lucky to have trained at the center, today’s aspiring basketball players are luckier since they can practice in premium facilities.

Mozzy says Kiefer became more confident and more focused in playing basketball when she enrolled him in MILO BEST. “He was able to identify his weaknesses and improve on them. He also brought home training techniques and practiced them over and over until he was able to get it.” 

Mozzy, a constant presence in her children’s games, now finds it difficult to watch their games.

“The funny part is, now that they are playing in the UAAP, I find it harder to watch their games. Maybe I know that a lot is at stake, or maybe because I know a lot of pressure are on my children,” she says, adding that her biggest fear is seeing her children getting injured at a game.

An old soul

When asked, Mozzy describes Kiefer as an “old soul” even when he was little.

“[He] has always been mature, walked when he was just 9 months old, took a bath on his own at 3, only played a little bit with dinosaurs but it was basketball all the way. He was drawing plays at 4 and attending coaching/player seminars at 6,” she says.

Mozzy says Kiefer is “very thoughtful” and plays the part of big brother to his two siblings.  

“Especially now that Thirdy is going to college and will be his teammate, he already set their ground rules on being the brother and the teammate,” she says.

Kiefer says his mother encouraged the Ravena children’s love for sports but exerts no pressure on them when it comes to their games.

Mozzy says her dream for her children is for them to love and excel in  whatever they choose to do.

“Whether they continue to be athletes or business people, I want them to be happy and be good people,” she says.

Kiefer adds, “Don’t let anyone stop you from doing what you love because you control your life. Don’t try to spend your whole life becoming what other people want you to be, but focus on becoming the person you want to be.” – Rappler.com

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