Basketball
Un-phenomenal: A look at Kiefer Ravena’s quiet debut
Sunday was an auspicious day for Ateneo basketball, one that promised a first look at two personalities that may join one day the pantheon of the Blue Eagles’ finest.
Kiefer Ravena dominated in the summer leagues, but his UAAP debut was decidedly "un-phenomenal." InterAKTV file/Justin Gener
Few UAAP rookies could match the sparkling resumes of SMART-Gilas Pilipinas backup and former Cebu Athletic Schools Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) most valuable player Greg Slaughter and FIBA-Asia Under-18 Mythical Team member and three-time UAAP Juniors Champion Kiefer Ravena. But while one debut played out like a coronation, the other was – to put it mildly – a rude awakening.
The Blue Eagles opened their season Sunday with an ugly 55-51 win over the very game Adamson Falcons. Slaughter dominated what was mostly a defensive game, by providing a steady dose of post scoring for Ateneo, going 9/14 from the field to tally 23 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks.
The freshman Ravena, branded “The Phenom” after his sterling debut in the summer leagues, meanwhile, was largely disappointing.
The numbers speak for themselves. Ravena scored zero points on a solitary shot attempt in 14 minutes. He managed just two rebounds and one assist.
Kiefer also finished with a plus-minus of negative 11. That is, the Blue Eagles were outscored by 11 points when Ravena was on the floor, while outscoring the Falcons by 15 with the rook on the bench.
And while that looks like an indictment of Ravena and his talent, it was not entirely his fault. He entered the game late in the 1st quarter with what was an offensively-challenged second unit that included Justin Chua (looking far from his sharp form last season), Bacon Austria, Tonino Gonzaga and Frank Golla (who was later replaced by JP Erram).
It looked like a unit that required Ravena to dominate possessions by either scoring or creating for his teammates, possibly a sign of the trust coach Norman Black has in his rookie point guard – or in his reserves. That lineup proceeded to give up a 7-0 run to Adamson, cutting an 11-point lead to just four to end the first quarter.
On offense, Ravena struggled heavily at the beginning but settled into a better rhythm in the second quarter. He found his teammates with a handful of passes that would have been assists had they converted on their attempts. He also got the Blue Eagles running, finding Austria with on-point outlet passes twice and running with Nico Salva on another occasion before sitting out the rest of the half.
But unlike his recent showings in the UAAP Juniors Finals (26.7 ppg), the FIBA Asia U-18 tournament (18.6 ppg) and the 2011 Fil-Oil Flying V Premier Cup where he was named tournament MVP (11.3 ppg), Ravena showed little inclination to score. He looked hesitant to drive, and even when he did, looked too often to pass to a teammate.
And in the second half, when the Blue Eagles offense grew increasingly Slaughter-centric, Ravena was content to stand around on the weak side and watch.
But while his offense had problems, it was an even tougher night for Ravena defensively. In the first quarter, he was caught flat-footed off of a perfectly-timed backdoor cut by Jerick Cañada for an easy Adamson layup. He tried to get it back on the next possession by jacking up his only attempt of the night, a contested midrange jumper early in the clock.
Later in the third quarter, he got picked off by Austin Manyara on an off-the-ball screen that freed up Lester Alvarez for a big three-pointer that gave Adamson their first lead of the game at 34-33. On the next Falcons offensive, they ran the same play and while Kiefer played the screen better, Alvarez was able to take it strong with the action leading to a long two for Jan Colina to extend the lead to three.
Alvarez would later hit one of his patented pull-up threes over the outstretched arm of Ravena, who contested the shot but gave a slight bit of space that proved to be all that the Adamson guard needed to make that shot.
Those three field goals would be the only shots that Alvarez and Cañada would make, as they combined for 3-for-20 from the field. The fact that they all came with Kiefer as their primary defender spoke volumes about what kind of night Ravena had.
But despite the shaky start, Ravena showed plenty of positives. Defensively, the length and athleticism he brings to the point guard position is something the smaller but more experienced Emman Monfort does not have. Ravena gave Monfort a quick breather in the last two minutes, guarding Alvarez for a spell. He forced the Adamson guard to a tough leaning fadeaway that missed the mark before being relieved by Monfort to end the game.
On the other end of the floor, Ravena looked too much like he wanted to fit the system, allowing his teammates get touches and not dominating the ball. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing – as it shows a selflessness that could benefit them somewhere down the line.
Kiefer’s father, retired PBA player Bong Ravena, confirmed as much.
“Kiefer was thinking of so many things,” said the elder Ravena, a former star for the University of the East in the UAAP. “Iniisip niya kung ano ang dapat ilaro niya and he decided to take a backseat to his more senior teammates.”
But what Kiefer needs to understand is that as much as he has to adjust to the system, the system must also adjust to him. Remember, as structured as Coach Norman Black would like his system to be, he’s had to live with Eric Salamat freelancing defensively in the past simply because it was good for the team.
Unique players like Salamat – and quite possibly, Ravena – can’t be treated like mere cogs in a machine. Certain concessions are allowed to take advantage of the full array of skills they bring to the table. Once Kiefer gets comfortable knowing when to stick with the system and when to just play his game, whether by scoring or creating for his team, it should all come together for him.
And as for the lack of numbers, well, everybody looks bad in a defensive game like this. The Blue Eagles as a team shot 33.3% from the field, 10% from three and 66.7% from the free throw line – and they were the winning team.
An unkind welcome – a rude one, perhaps – to the UAAP is not what many expected from Ravena. But his father already saw it coming.
“Expected ko na ganun talaga ang mangyayari, so kinausap ko siya after the game,” said Bong. “I expect him to bounce back and play at a different level.”
It’s never about how one starts it, it’s how one finishes it that matters.
One game into what may still end up as one of the great college basketball careers, it’s all too early to tell. — with reporting by Reynaldo Belen.
