Just like his brother, Thirdy Ravena always makes sure to look back in order to move forward.
When Ravena received the UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals Most Valuable Player crown last season, the then-third year Blue Eagle made sure to share the honor with graduating big man Chibueze Ikeh.
This time around, after winning his second Finals MVP plum, he used this opportunity to pay tribute to his senior Anton Asistio – an Atenean with whom he has fought numerous battles, ever since they were in Ateneo High School.
“Para kay Anton talaga ‘yon. Para sa kanya talaga ito,” he shared.
And the athletic, 6-foot-3 forward made sure that there would be no let-ups in his send-off for Asistio.
After flirting with a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in Game One, Ravena showed a higher gear in Game Two – tallying his career-best 38 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
It was more than enough to bring home the championship.
“Well my mission was to give everything that I can.
“I didn’t really expect to score. It just came na pumapasok yung binibigay sa akin ng teammates ko,” he expressed.
For Ravena, this honor is nothing but a souvenir for the season. The only thing that matters to him is that they were able to win as one.
“I just wanna thank all of my teammates for making this dream come true not just for me but for each and every one of us.”
Come next year, Ravena – together with fellow seniors the Nieto twins and Isaac Go – hope that they can get the same send-off from their underclassmen.
