ni Alvin Olivar - @Sports | June 28, 2020
Pormal nang inanunsyo ng San-en NeoPhoenix ang kanilang pagkuha kay dating Ateneo star na si Thirdy Ravena.
Isang online press conference ang isinagawa kasama ng mga reporter mula sa Pilipinas at maging sa Japan upang ibalita ang pagpirma ni Ravena sa koponan.
Ayon sa CEO ng San-en NeoPhoenix na si Kenjiro Hongo ay masaya sila sa pagkuha nila kay Ravena na kanilang binansagan bilang pinakamagaling na manlalaro sa Pilipinas ngayon.
“Thirdy is the best player in his country. Signing with him means a lot to me. I’m really proud of that. I’m looking forward to showing his game in the B.League,” wika ni Hongo mula sa kanyang interpreter.
Ito ang unang pagkakataon na makakapaglaro ang isang Pilipino sa Japan B.League matapos silang maglagay ng Asian Player Quotas na nagpapahintulot sa mga koponan na kumuha ng import mula sa Asia.
Ayon kay Ravena, napili niyang maglaro sa Japan upang hubugin pa ang kanyang kakayahan sa basketbol.
“Honestly, I’ve been hearing about Japanese basketball but I didn’t expect that it will grow this past in the past couple of years. I’m really excited just because the league attracts a lot of big-name imports outside the NBA. I can’t wait to compete against former NBA players,” wika ni Ravena.
Dagdag ni Ravena, excited na rin siyang makaranas ng mataas na lebel na kompetisyon sa Japan.
“In terms of basketball, Japanese basketball really has, number one, speed. They pass the ball more than they dribble which is why the ball travels faster. Definitely a lot of shooters, very deadly when it comes to making threes. I’ve seen that in the league. Two imports in the game so it’s going to be way tougher definitely. I’m expecting Japanese basketball to be very exciting,” saad ni Ravena.
Aminado rin si Ravena na hindi naging madali ang pagpiling maglaro sa Japan, umalis ng bansa, at iwan ang kanyang pamilya. Ngunit sa bandang huli, napili pa rin niya na mangibang-bansa upang umakyat ang antas ng paglalaro niya sa basketbol.
“I was nervous and I had anxiety when I was thinking about it. But I realized that the only reason I’m here is because I love challenges and I love competition. I love to be always outside my comfort zone. It’s something that I want to do,” ani Ravena.
Sa ngayon ay dito muna lalagi si Ravena sa bansa dahil na rin sa COVID-19 pandemic.