Shiga has been closely monitoring the development regarding Kiefer Ravena and the Philippine Basketball Association.
And on Saturday, the Lakestars received the good news that the 6-foot-1 combo guard of NLEX has received clearance to play in the B.League for one season.
“As officially announced by the PBA (Philippine League) today, July 24th, 2021, #15 Kiefer Ravena, who has signed a contract with Shiga Lakestars for the 2021-22 season, will join the team after the PBA Philippine Cup, where he is currently playing for the NLEX Road Warriors,” read the statement of the team owned by Shinsuke Sakai.
“We are very pleased to announce that Kiefer Ravena will join Shiga Lakestars after the Philippine Cup.”
Shiga will make their season debut on October 2 against Thirdy Ravena’s San-En.
The Philippine Cup, on the other hand, ends on the second week of October at the latest. Meanwhile, the elimination round ends on August 27.
Ravena has vowed that he will play the entire conference for the Road Warriors.
Still, the Lakestars know that the product of Ateneo will be worth the wait as they try to bounce back from their 23-36 campaign last season.
“As a PG who has international experience as a player of the Philippine National Team, we believe that Kiefer Ravena is an essential asset for Shiga Lakestars to advance to the Championship this season and to achieve continuous growth in order to enter the new B1 League starting in 2026,” the statement read.
“We also believe that Kiefer Ravena’s success in Japan will have a huge positive impact on basketball fans in Japan and the Philippines, as well as to young kids who dream of becoming international professional basketball athletes.”