Will we see more of Thirdy Ravena in the PBA D-League?
That has been the question as of late, since the second-generation cager doesn’t need to meet the required number of games played in the D-League to be eligible in the 2020 PBA Draft.
This is thanks to his stint with Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers this February, where he was part of the teams that beat Qatar and Kazakhstan.
The league’s rules say that an aspirant is eligible to head straight into the draft if he’s had a stint with the national team.
But for Ravena, his D-League campaign doesn’t depend on anything but his academic calendar. Ravena missed Cignal-Ateneo’s season debut as his class schedule clashed with their game.
“Depends pa kasi lahat yun naka-base sa academic calendar ko. I have to make sure na wala akong naii-skip na class,” the 22-year-old disclosed. “Kailangan ko pang siguraduhin na walang conflict with my classes.
“We’ll see.”
Ravena finally made his D-League debut on Thursday, when the Blue Eagles clashed with the UST Growling Tigers. He said that he was able to play as he had a free cut from his classes.
“Nakalaro ako today because may free cut ako sa class ko ng two o’clock,” he disclosed.
Ravena didn’t have the welcome he wanted as they bowed to UST, 98-112. But instead of lamenting what went wrong, the 22-year-old just sees it as a learning experience.
“It happens. May instances talaga sa games na marami kaming nagagawang mali na hindi namin naaayos throughout the game. But those lessons really come in basketball,” he said.
“We have to understand na kailangan namin matuto sa mga nangyayari sa’min whether good or bad. Ang importante lang matuto kami.”
