T. Ravena, pinakamahusay na atleta sa aklat ng Ateneo

“We won it in a way na we were playing for one another and it’s incredible, ‘yung feeling. Hindi ko ma-describe eh. Pero I just want to thank the entire team,” wika ni Ateneo graduating student Thirdy Ravena na nakagawa rin ng rekord bilang unang manlalaro na nagwagi ng tatlong sunod na Finals MVP trophy sa Blue Eagles ng UAAP ’82 Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Isa ring rekord ang naitala nilang 16-0 sweep sa liga, dahil ito ang kauna-unahang sweep sa Final Four era matapos ang 14-0 sweep ng UST noong 1993.

“Tinatanong nila paano namin nagawa ‘yung 16-0, yung sagot ko kanina is our strength doesn’t lie with one person, with one player or with one coach, it lies in all of us and it lies in us because we want to play for one another and we preach servanthood. Kaya kami malakas, kaya gumagana ‘yung system, it’s that because we do what we do, not for ourselves, but for our teammates and for the guy beside us on the bench. Sobrang sarap lang ng feeling,” dagdag pa ni Ravena.

Isa na namang bagong pahina sa aklat ng kasaysayan ng UAAP ang inokupa ng Ateneo de Manila University nang angkinin nila ang ikatlong sunod na titulo pagkaraang magkampeon sa katatapos na UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship sa pamamagitan ng pagdomina sa University of Santo Tomas sa finals.

Tinapos ng Blue Eagles ang Finals series matapos ang 86-79, na panalo nila sa Game 2 noong Miyerkules sa MOA Arena sa pangunguna ni Ravena.

Hindi naman sinolo ni Ravena ang kredito sa nakopo nilang titulo sa paglalahad na nagtagumpay sila at nanalo sa pamamagitan ng pagtutulungan at pagkakaisa.

Bunga nito, isa na si Ravena sa mga pangalang mapapahanay sa mga pinakamahuhusay na mga naging manlalaro ng Blue Eagles mula sa dating pagkakakilala sa kanya bilang nakababatang kapatid ng dating 2-time champion at 2-time league Most Valuable Player na si Kiefer Ravena.

Sa tulong at paggabay ni Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin, nakawala si Thirdy sa anino ng kanyang kuya na si Kiefer. “I think, what happened was I took myself out of my brother’s shadow, not just this year, but ever since Coach Tab came in, he already talked to me, and he told me that the biggest pressure shouldn’t be trying to be like your brother or your dad, but the biggest pressure should be coming from yourself and trying to be the best player you could possibly be, and with that, I think I’ve effectively removed myself from my brother’s shadow and focused on how I could be the the best player I could possibly be, not just for myself but for my teammates.”

Pero para kay Thirdy, lahat ay ginawa niya hindi upang makipagpaligsahan kundi para mas maiangat pa ang kanyang sarili bilang isang manlalaro buhat sa dati noong siya ay magsimula. “For me, it’s not even about accomplishments, it’s about trying to work at something and not trying to work to be like someone and I’m just trying to be the best version of me. That’s it,”dagdag nito.