ALLAN THE MAN

Ateneo guard Kiefer Ravena will be a man on a mission in the next two years as he strives to win the UAAP championship in his final two seasons in the league.

Ravena and the rest of the Blue Eagles ended their season a lot earlier than they would like after losing to the University of Santo Tomas in their last game of the elimination round, which allowed the Growling Tigers to snatch the last berth in the Final Four.

“Ang tagal ko na hindi umabot sa Final Four. Not even winning the championship, pero not making it to the Final Four,” Ravena mused after emerging from the Ateneo dugout a couple of hours after their loss last Wednesday.

“So, I guess this is something that we have to learn from,” he added.

The difficult experience will also give Ravena even more motivation in the next two seasons.

“We have to focus on the next year, the upcoming years. I have to more playing years left, and I want to win the next two championships,” he said. “I’ll make it a mission to win the next two championships.”

Season 76 saw the five-time defending champions get off to a 0-3 start to the season, with Ravena being sidelined for a few games due to a high ankle sprain.

But the former Rookie of the Year refused to use his injury as an excuse for the team’s subpar start and disappointing finish.

“Hindi ko naman alam na kung hindi ako na-injure, baka iba ‘yung laruin ng team naming. I wouldn’t want to take it na, hindi binigay ng teammates ko ‘yung best nila noong injured ako,” he said.

“Okay lang ‘yun. I mean, we were halfway to making it to the Final Four. We could have stepped inside, pero wala, kinapos talaga,” he added. “So focus na lang ulit next year.”

Even though he is disappointed with how their season concluded, Ravena will still be an interested spectator when the Final Four gets underway this weekend.

“Everything happens for a reason,” said Ravena. “I’m excited to see who the new champions will be this season and I wish everyone the best of luck.”

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