For the last eight years, Ricardo Ratliffe, who now goes by the name of Ra Gun-ah, has lived in Asia.
And he has seen plenty of improvements from Asians in the game of basketball.
During an IGTV session by FIBA Asia last Friday, the 31-year-old, who played for PBA club Star back in 2017, was asked to name his All-Asia team. There was one Filipino player he included — Thirdy Ravena.
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“My boy Thirdy from the Philippines, because I know he’s the future. He’s the future,” the 6-foot-8 naturalized South Korean shared.
Despite being away from the Philippines, he has kept tabs on its players, including the Japan-bound Ravena.
Over the last three years, Ravena made waves in the UAAP, eventually ending his career as the league’s only three-time Finals Most Valuable Player. A year after graduating, he was signed as an Asian import by B.League team San-En.
Other players Ratliffe had in his team were Yao Ming, Dar Tucker, Earnest Ross, Yang Donggeun, Choi Jun-Yong, and Lee Dae-Sung.
Ratliffe and South Korea are tentatively scheduled to take on Ravena and Gilas on November 27, as the two proud nations are part of Group A in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
