Ferdinand "Thirdy" Crisologo Ravena III (born December 17, 1996) is a Filipino professional basketball player for
San-en NeoPhoenix
is a B.League professional basketball team, based in the eastern Mikawa and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture region of central Japan.
The team was founded in 1965 as the company team of the OSG Corporation, a Toyokawa-based machine parts man ...
of the Japanese
B.League
The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...
. Ravena played for the
Ateneo Blue Eagles
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The collegiate women's ...
of the
UAAP during his college days. He plays the
shooting guard position.
Early life
Ravena was born on December 17, 1996 in
Iloilo City
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo ( hil, Siyudad/Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; fil, Lungsod ng Iloilo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines on the island of Panay. It is the capital city of ...
, Philippines.
He is the son of
Bong Ravena, who played for the
UE Red Warriors
UE Red Warriors refer to the collegiate men's varsity teams of the University of the East. The women's collegiate varsity teams are called the UE Lady Warriors. The Athletic director of the University of the East is Rodrigo M. Roque.
Backgrou ...
and was the
1992 PBA Rookie of the year and Mozzy Crisologo-Ravena, a retired volleyball player who used to play for the
UST Golden Tigresses and the
Philippines women's national volleyball team. He is also the younger brother of
Kiefer Ravena
Kiefer Isaac Crisologo Ravena (; born October 27, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for Shiga Lakes of the Japanese B.League. Ravena played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the UAAP during his college days. He plays the point ...
, who is currently playing for the
Shiga Lakestars
Shiga Lakes (滋賀レイクス) is a Japanese men's basketball team playing in the Western Conference of the B.League. They are based in the Shiga Prefecture.
Coaches
* Bob Pierce (2008–10)
* Takatoshi Ishibashi
* Hirokazu Nema
* Al Westov ...
, also in Japan's
B.League
The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...
, and the older brother of Dani Ravena, who is currently playing for the
Ateneo Lady Eagles
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the collegiate varsity teams of the Ateneo de Manila University that play in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the premiere collegiate league in the Philippines. The collegiate women's v ...
.
Collegiate career
UAAP Season 77 (2014)
Ravena's rookie season was in 2014 alongside his brother
Kiefer Ravena
Kiefer Isaac Crisologo Ravena (; born October 27, 1993) is a Filipino professional basketball player for Shiga Lakes of the Japanese B.League. Ravena played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the UAAP during his college days. He plays the point ...
. There was a lot of hype surrounding Thirdy's rookie season as he was considered the future of the league. Unfortunately, Thirdy had one of the worst seasons of his up and coming college career.
UAAP Season 78 (2015)
This was supposed to be Thirdy's second year but he had to sit out because of bad grades. It is in the rules of Ateneo sports that you can not play in any league (even if not UAAP) if you have a failing mark.
UAAP Season 79 (2016)
This is officially Thirdy's second playin year where he led the Blue Eagles to the 2nd Seed with a 10–4 win loss record and faced FEU in the semifinals. He helped Ateneo advance to the finals against their archrivals the De La Salle Green Archers in a 2–0 series win by the Green Archers.
UAAP Season 80 (2017)
With Thirdy having experienced 2 years in the UAAP, he led the Blue Eagles to the 1st seed with a 13–1 win–loss record. They once again faced FEU in the semifinals and were in the brink of elimination despite having the twice-to-beat advantage. They faced La Salle in the finals again but this time triumphant winning 2–1 in the best of three finals series. Thirdy grabbed the Finals MVP honors with Ateneo's 9th Championship
UAAP Season 81 (2018)
As defending champions and Ateneo representing the Philippines in that year's Jones Cup, expectations were high for Ateneo. Everyone thought they would sweep it but they lost their first game of the season. After that loss, the Blue Eagles led by Thirdy were fired up and did their best ending with a 12–2 record. Ateneo faced FEU again and won in one game. Thirdy again led Ateneo to back-to-back titles, 10th overall against the UP Fighting Maroons. Thirdy won Finals MVP for the second time in a row with a historical 38 point performance in Game 2 of the UAAP Finals.
UAAP Season 82 (2019)
For Thirdy's final year in the UAAP, he led Ateneo to a 14–0 season sweep and booked them an automatic trip to the finals. For the finals they faced the UST Growling Tigers. Beating them in 2 games for a three-peat and Ateneo's 11th title. Thirdy won Finals MVP for the third straight time (First in UAAP history). Thirdy's 32 point game in Game 1 of the Finals sealed the case for Thirdy's third straight Finals MVP trophy.
Professional career
San-en NeoPhoenix (2020–present)
On June 24, 2020,
San-en NeoPhoenix
is a B.League professional basketball team, based in the eastern Mikawa and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture region of central Japan.
The team was founded in 1965 as the company team of the OSG Corporation, a Toyokawa-based machine parts man ...
of the
B.League
The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that ...
announced that it has signed in Ravena for the 2020–21 season. He is the first ever player to be signed-in under the league's Asian Player Quotas system which involve non-Japanese Asian imports.
Due to travel restrictions imposed as a response to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Ravena was only able to leave the Philippines for Japan in October 2020.
In his debut for the San-en NeoPhoenix, he put up 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in an 83-82 win over the
Shimane Susanoo Magic. On November 27, 2020, Ravena tested positive for
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...
after exhibiting fever which temporarily sidelined him from playing. He rejoined NeoPhoenix, after the team announced that he has recovered by December 11. In January 2021, Thirdy Ravena suffered a finger fracture and missed at least 3 months of B-league games. Ravena played 18 games in his first year with the NeoPhoenix, averaging 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 22.8 minutes per game.
On May 10, 2021, Ravena re-signed with the NeoPhoenix for another season. On October 2, he faced his brother Kiefer and the
Shiga Lakestars
Shiga Lakes (滋賀レイクス) is a Japanese men's basketball team playing in the Western Conference of the B.League. They are based in the Shiga Prefecture.
Coaches
* Bob Pierce (2008–10)
* Takatoshi Ishibashi
* Hirokazu Nema
* Al Westov ...
during the first game of the season, recording 11 points and 6 rebounds in a 93–83 loss.
National team career
Ravena has played for the
Philippine national team at the
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravena, Thirdy
1996 births
Living people
Ateneo Blue Eagles men's basketball players
Basketball players from Iloilo
Competitors at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games
Filipino expatriate basketball people in Japan
Filipino men's 3x3 basketball players
Filipino men's basketball players
Philippines men's national basketball team players
Philippines national youth 3x3 basketball team players
San-en NeoPhoenix players
Shooting guards
Southeast Asian Games medalists in basketball
Southeast Asian Games silver medalists for the Philippines
Sportspeople from Iloilo City