No Offers yet for Kiefer Ravena

MANILA, Philippines — With the 2010 collegiate basketball season already over, the recruitment for next year’s potential rookies has begun.

And Kiefer Ravena, son of former Philippine Basketball Association Player Bong, is widely considered as the country’s top high school prospect after a phenomenal career with Ateneo de ManilaUniversity.

With averages of 20.9 points (led UAAP juniors) on 51 percent shooting, 5.5 boards, 5.2 assists (second), and 2.6 steals (third) in just 25.7 minutes, Ravena certainly has the numbers to back up that claim.

But surprisingly, there haven’t been any offers so far for the two-time Finals Most Valuable Player, who led the Blue Eaglets to their third straight title.

“Ngayon, to be honest, wala pang school na kumakausap sa akin, as in yung talk with my parents and me,” Ravena said recently. “Syempre, meron siguro yung mga nagsasabi na ‘dito ka, dito ka na,’ pero yung formal talk, wala pa.”

There have been rumors that National University, a school backed by mall magnate Henry Sy, is one of the suitors of the prized cager, but Ravena said that he has not yet decided on which school to choose and stressed that his studies are his priority for now.

“Wala pa akong napili,” Ravena, who plays point guard, said. “Mahirap magsabi pero kailangan talaga muna namin tapusin yung high school. Then I’ll take it from there.”

For coach Norman Black, he hopes Ravena would not leave the Katipunan-based school, which will be bolstered by another blue-chip rookie next year in 7-foot Greg Slaughter, a national team member.

“We hope he would end up here,” Black said after the Blue Eagles’ three-peat-title-clinching 65-62 victory over Far Eastern University last month regarding Ravena’s future.

He may be the most sought after recruit for the upcoming collegiate season, but Ravena believes there are lots of home-grown talents out there that have yet to be discovered.

“Siguro exposed lang ako dito sa Ateneo kaya (nagkakaroon ako ng ganitong recorgnition). Pero yung title na ‘ako ang pinaka-magaling,’ ang daming sobrang magagaling dyan na hindi lang nakikita,” he said. “Very lucky ako na naglalaro ako sa UAAP na sometimes get televised so maraming nakakakita. But I believe that there are also other high school players my age that are very good. Sila rin yung future ng Philippine basketball, who will bring the country back to the basketball world.”

Karlo Sacamos, Manila Bulletin