Gilas Pilipinas Basketball

As if fate had it designed, Kiefer Ravena got a steal and scored on a fast break lay-up in the second quarter of Gilas Pilipinas’ second closed-door tune-up game against Australian club team Adelaide 36ers inside the Meralco Gym seconds after he checked in an official basketball game for the first time in a year and half following his FIBA-meted suspension.

And just like that, close to 18 months worth of guilt, disappointment, anger, dread, and a lot more emotions rolled into his mind vanished as new chapter in his famed and magnified basketball career unfolded that night.

“All I had to do, ewan ko kung binigay yung steal sa akin kanina eh, pina-steal ata ako, sabi niya matagal nang suspended to, pa-lay-upin natin,” Ravena joked as media members chuckled during his post-game interview.

Gilas had lost, 85 -75, splitting their Goodwill Games series against the Aussie NBL squad.

“Tapos parang doon, yun yung okay na. Doon na natapos yung kung anumang nararamdaman kong gigil or pagiging kalma ko.”

Just like that?

“It was fast. It went by so fast,” Ravena said of the whirlind past year and a half he underwent during Gilas’ final Manila practice before they left for China the following day.

“Now, I have something to look forward to which is playing in the World Cup. We just really need to be present and take it one day at a time lalong lalo na pagdating namin doon. May practices agad.”

Even head coach Yeng Guiao was satisfied with what he saw from someone who hadn’t been on the court for a considerable amount of time.

“I’m happy, I’m satisfied, I’m impressed actually. And the good thing about Kiefer is he’s not just contributing on the floor, he also contributes off the floor. As young as he is, he is well-respected as a leader of this team,” he said.

Two months ago, Guiao told Rappler Sports that Ravena was the “most logical choice” to replace long-time Gilas stalwart Jayson Castro, who retired, for the point guard position.

It wasn’t long ago when Ravena was participating in beach volleyball celebrity games, organizing golf tournaments, and even moonlighting as a sports analyst for a cable TV channel to keep himself distracted from the suspension.

How he’s turned seemingly so easily from that to a first-time World Cup participant only speaks of the tenacity the 25-year-old Philippine basketball phenom possesses.

On May 28, 2018, the Philippine basketball scene was rocked when it was announced Ravena was suspended by FIBA, when he tested positive for three WADA-banned substances in a drug test conducted during Gilas Pilipinas’ FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers game against Japan February of the same year.

He was initially pulled out by the PBA from the Visayas leg of the all-star festivities that year by league commissioner Willie Marcial, and speculations began pouring.

After a roller-coaster 24 hours, news outlets bared the unfortunate news: Ravena will not be able to play for the next year and a half.

The suspension imposed was good for 18 months, although it would take effect retroactively, meaning Ravena had already served about three months when the decision came down as the scope covered the Philippines-Japan game.

“I am in front of you guys to take full responsibility for my actions, despite how painful and dreadful it is,” Ravena said back then in a press conference by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

The substances found in Ravena’s drug test were traced to a pre-game drink called DUST which he did take prior to the said match. The substances? Higenamine, Dimethybutylamine, and Methylhexanamine. Needless to say, it was an honest mistake.

“I regret taking this pre-workout drink without analyzing or taking extra time to research its ingredients,” Ravena added.

The eldest child of former PBA player and now TNT KaTropa head coach Bong Ravena and volleyball star Mozzy, Kiefer has always been a consummate role model. He’s acted maturely ever since; he carried a laid back public persona, and he always owed up to mistakes made without excuses. On the hardcourt, he always exemplified greatness.

It would have been preposterous for Ravena to rely on performance-enhancing drugs for competition or even try using such, as he’s always been a workhorse and a dedicated athlete perfecting his craft.

This is why the news shocked the basketball community. The suspension’s timing had immediate repercussions to both Ravena and the national team’s campaign.

The Philippines was already enjoying a good positioning in the first round of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers with a 3-1 record, and Ravena personally was just beginning to scratch greater heights in his basketball career.

“It’s going to be a bummer. It’s going to be a downer,” then Gilas head coach Chot Reyes said. “He’s the one player who’s available anytime, anywhere, any place we call him.”

Being someone who’s always under the spotlight since he was a teenager, Ravena always knew expectations, criticisms, and hype would follow him wherever he went.

He was a UAAP juniors champion. His transition in college was seamless, being a clutch performer to hand the Ateneo Blue Eagles back to back titles, the fourth and fifth in a colossal five-peat run. He became a four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.

Ravena’s room is filled with countless medals, trophies, and other personal accolades collected throughout a meaningful journey. And he did not stop there.

Ravena took an unusual pre-PBA route. He joined local club Mighty Sports and battled the likes of Jimmer Fredette. He was with Alab Pilipinas for the ASEAN Basketball League. He became a developmental player for the Texas Legends in the NBA G-League, the same squad his comrade Ray Parks Jr. played for when the latter pursued his own NBA dream.

The 25-year-old combo guard would always carve out his own path and try to stand out. It was always meant to be that Ravena strived for excellence and never settled for anything below greatness.

“The road less-traveled, it’s a very apt saying especially to the few guys. You can even name them, the guys who have tried out,” Ravena told SLAM Philippines in 2017. “We picked that path because we wanted to be great … you have to challenge yourself into pushing your limit.”

When he finally played in the PBA, he made the NLEX Road Warriors more relevant as a rookie, carrying them to their first-ever franchise semi-finals and getting them two wins away from the championship stages.

Perhaps, if teammate Kevin Alas just didn’t go down with an injury, maybe Ravena and him tag-teamed for the Road Warriors and gave them a historic ride.

Such brilliant play proved to be Ravena’s ticket to the Gilas seniors’ squad, something he never reached prior. Reyes had trust in the young backcourt general, and Ravena didn’t let his mentor down, averaging 7.3 PPG, 2 RPG, and 3.3 APG in four games to help the nationals in the first two windows of the qualifiers.

But all of what Ravena had reached in a lengthy but still young career came to a halt in May. And what followed was the most enduring juncture yet of his basketball story.

The first few days of officially serving the suspension was the hardest part for Ravena, calling it “painful and life-changing.”

“It’s a pretty traumatizing event for me, to be honest,” Ravena shared per Rappler Sports, adding he never drank any liquid with color following what happened.

As the days passed and the minutes ticked, people naturally counted Ravena out as he also indulged in non-basketball activities quite publicly.

He became a sports analyst for — yes, not even basketball — the Spikers’ Turf men’s volleyball league on cable TV. One time, he became a celebrity all-star volleyball player for a day. He “gate-crashed” a Boystown 3×3 event earlier this year.

Where Ravena would go from the suspension was a resounding question mark on the part of pundits. Uncertainty was the only thing people could think of while he was away.

And the feeling of taking away basketball, which Ravena considers his first love, was tantamount to “taking away a toy from a kid and then giving it back after a long time,” per Rappler Sports.

Little did people know, Ravena kept his mind set on continuing to be great. He stayed in shape. He worked out endlessly as that sufficed for the time being. Mentally, he maintained his razor-sharp focus.

“It’s something that made me stronger, wiser, and a better person,” Ravena told Rappler Sports in June 2019. “You have to really appreciate life and the sport even more becasue it was taken away from me. Very thankful that I’m back.”

On June 24, Ravena officially returned to basketball practice for NLEX. His ban had included professional basketball, and being back was a moment Ravena cherished as his perspective of things have also changed.

“It’s a very tough learning experience for me being away from basketball for 16 months,” he said.

Confident enough in himself and the way his return campaign had been going just two months before the World Cup, Ravena vowed to “surprise” everyone in his return, and he did.

His fast break lay-up during the Gilas-Adelaide tune-up was followed immediately with a pull-up triple, then a patented dribble pull-up from the free throw line. He injected life to a quite lackadaisical second quarter from the Philippines.

Eventually, he finished with 11 points, the only double-digit scorer outside of naturalized big man Andray Blatche in the loss. He could have had more, but Guiao opted to play him just 17 minutes as to not tire him out that much.

To end that Sunday, and to the surprise of perhaps still a chunk of the population, Ravena made the FIBA World Cup final 12 roster.

“I am very excited. It’s been a while since I last represented the country,” he said. “The last time I represented the country wasn’t a memorable one because that’s when I found out I was going to be suspended, so nevertheless, this is another blessing for me to play for the flag.”

Three days after, Ravena played for the Road Warriors in a 114-77 blow-out tune-up game against the Phoenix Fuel Masters, where he scored 14 points.

A cupping therapy session in between which left him with a ton of circular marks on his shoulders and entire upper back, Ravena once again hit the court for Gilas’ final practice in Manila. He had nearly five hours of basketball that day, but made it look easy.

“I will never think twice about representing the national team, ever. For me, it is a chance for me to play with this bunch of guys, pick their brains up, and really catch up with the time I missed in basketball,” he added.

Ravena was a man of his words. He has missed basketball much, but he was worked his way up. The way he moved on the hardwood, ran up and down, orchestrated, defended, and strutted his go-to moves made it seem Ravena had been playing all along.

Before leaving for China, Ravena talked about a certain Twitter follower who tweeted about the Philippines’ chances being slim, as someone who hasn’t been on the court for 18 months was included in its final roster, according to the account.

Ravena shared he has been seeing the account attack him often.

“Siya lagi. I get to notice him or her a lot and more or less, he or she never really says good things about me. But the account follows me so I guess he or she is a good supporter and a good fan. It’s motivation for us, good motivation for me, personally,” he mentioned.

Skeptics, in general, are nothing new for Ravena. A quick visit to his Twitter account would lead you to a Pinned Tweet containing the awardees for the PBA All-Rookie Team which had him out as he spent most of his rookie season on the sidelines. Such messages only add fuel for Ravena to burn.

As he embarks on a new journey in China, culminating what has been an eye-opening, life-changing, and challenging experience, Ravena provided the most fitting and direct answer he could regarding his latest armchair critique:

“Added motivation,” he said, like he never left basketball.

By Levi Verora, Jr.