Ravena Brothers in Gilas: Keeping Up with the "23 for 23" List

It has been five years since we last saw Kiefer Ravena play alongside his brother, Thirdy Ravena, while playing for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. That was Season 78 of the UAAP when Kiefer Ravena nabbed his second and final MVP award. Unfortunately, the Blue Eagles lost a close game in the Final 4 against the eventual champions of that season, the FEU Tamaraws.

Now, who would have thought that Filipino fans will be able to witness another round of the Ravena siblings playing side by side and this time, with the national team for the first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers next week? 

The Ravena family has been a prominent name in Philippine sports with Bong Ravena, now coach of the TNT KaTropa in the PBA, a former PBA player himself and who has won 5 PBA championships and the Rookie of the Year plum back in 1992. Mozzy Ravena on the other hand, is a legend among volleyball aficionados and also a respected volleyball analyst. Dani Ravena, the sister of the Ravena brothers, is currently playing for the women's volleyball team of Ateneo and has a championship last year for the Lady Eagles. 

Now, why is it good for the national team to have not one but TWO Ravena on their training pool?

Let's just start with the obvious: Both Kiefer and Thirdy are proven winners on the court. They combined for 5 UAAP championships, 2 UAAP MVPs and 3 Finals MVPs. And yes, both already have notable experience playing for the national team, with Manong Kiefer now the winningest Gilas player with 5 gold medals in the SEA Games alone. On the other hand, Thirdy Ravena was included in the pool for the final window of the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers last year under Coach Yeng Guiao. 

Yeng Guiao even thought of including both brothers for the World Cup roster last year but went for Kiefer instead.

Fortunately, we might be able to see Kiefer Ravena throw a lob with Thirdy at the receiving end and flushing it down in a Thirdy Ravena fashion. Or, the other way around.

But more importantly, it seems that Mark Dickel and the rest of the Gilas coaching staff has a hard copy of the "23 for 23" list of players who could play for Gilas Pilipinas when the country hosts the 2023 FIBA World Cup- a list that was put together by former Gilas coach, Chot Reyes. 

The inclusion of both Ravena brothers to the training pool for the February window is an indication that this Gilas Pilipinas team is on a journey to prepare not just for the FIBA Asia Cup next year but for the World Cup in 3 years' time. 

Photo is from SLAMonline