The "Phenom" as Gilas Captain: Is it His Turn Indeed?

In the words of interim Gilas Pilipinas Head Coach Mark Dickel, "It's his turn,"

That's what Mark Dickel said when asked about the surprising appointment of Kiefer Ravena as team captain of the national team which is set to play against Thailand and Indonesia in the upcoming first window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers next week.

According to Dickel, the tag of captain of the national team suits Ravena and also added that he's talkative and communicative. Well, that's exactly the kind of captain you would want to see once the Asia Cup qualifiers kick off next week especially with the fact that the team doesn't have the luxury of having more time to prepare.

Now, I'm sure many of you are running the title of one of Bryan Cranston's movies, "Why Him?" Why indeed?

First off, this version of Gilas Pilipinas is made up mostly of amateur stars and upcoming rookies in the PBA with only Ravena, Troy Rosario, RR Pogoy and Marc Pingris being the only PBA players with vast experience in the international scene. 

Sure, Dickel could have gone for his own player at TNT in RR Pogoy or even Marc Pingris- the perfect personification of Gilas' battle cry, "PUSO!" But no, Mark Dickel, no longer a stranger to coaching in the international competitions, chose to appoint the Phenom. Is it Ravena's turn to be the captain of Gilas Pilipinas.

Yes.

For one, Gilas Pilipinas won't have the luxury of having Jayson Castro, LA Tenorio, June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar, and Christian Standhardinger- some of the best players in the PBA- with Castro and Tenorio already nearing the climax of their respective decorated careers. If anything, the absence of two of the greatest floor generals in the PBA will allow Manong Kiefer to step out of the shadows of both The Blur and Tinyente and become a Gilas captain in his own time. And for another? Kiefer Ravena has the accolades to back Mark Dickel's appointment. After all, he's a 5-time SEA Games gold medalist. 

Another reason why this surprising appointment makes sense? 

Kiefer Ravena has a connection to the young guns of the training pool which incidentally also included Kiefer's own brother, Thirdy. That connection could help in the development of a cohesive unit- something that will be hard to get from mixture of young players and PBA veterans. 

And frankly? Ravena is the ideal choice for one simple reason: we saw him lead the NLEX Road Warriors numerous times in the PBA. There's no reason why he can't do the same for Gilas Pilipinas especially now that his brother, Thirdy Ravena is with him. 

Photo is from Rappler