Thursday, August 13, 2020

Thirdy compared to Rodman, Pippen in Olympic Channel feature


Thirdy Ravena has long been one of the most promising young talents in the Philippines.

Now, the three-peat champion with Ateneo de Manila University is paving a brand new path as he is all set to play for San-En NeoPhoenix in Japan's B.League.

And to introduce the Filipino prospect to the rest of the world, the Olympic Channel featured him on its website.

How it described Ravena's game was interesting, to say the least. "A bit Rodman on the boards and a bit Pippen on the floor, Ravena is a hardworking, full-court player who can make huge defensive plays and hit that clutch shot in a big game," it said.

The 6-foot-2 swingman normed 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his fifth and final year as a Blue Eagle.

Those are far from the numbers Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen would do, but it's still safe to say that Ravena does, indeed, have that kind of potential.

And he has a golden opportunity to prove just that in becoming the first Filipino to play in Japan's pro league.

Yet again, the three-time Finals MVP said he knows full well that this means much more than just his present and future. As he put it, "You kind of have this torch that you want to make sure that is beautiful and well-lit in Japan. I have to make sure that I represent not just myself well, but the whole Philippines as well."

Fortunately for him, he has found a new way to get his mind right. "This is my first time trying out yoga that wasn't instructed by a team or anyone else and I loved it," he said.

Yes, apparently, Ravena is now very much into yoga. "When you clear everything in your mind, that's when everything starts to fall into place because you're not thinking about anything else," he said.

The feature then went on to discuss the 23-year-old's thoughts on kuya Kiefer, the Ravena household that includes 16 dogs and a cat, and Kai Sotto.

Ravena is the first basketball player from the Philippines to be on the Olympic channel. Volleyball stars Alyssa Valdez and Denden Lazaro have already been featured.

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Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo.

https://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/news/2020/08/13/thirdy-compared-rodman-pippen-olympic-channel-feature-70174

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