by Jonas Terrado
BOCAUE, Bulacan – Kiefer Ravena was the most outstanding performer among rookies after the first week of the PBA Philippine Cup after a memorable debut for the NLEX Road Warriors against the Kia Picanto.
Ravena produced 18 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds in the Road Warriors’ 119-115 victory over the Picanto Wednesday at the Filoil Flying V Centre, earning rave reviews from almost everyone who saw the former Ateneo star finally suiting up in the pro ranks.
“He’s able to create his own shots, he’s able to find his open teammates and that’s very good for the team because our style of play is really finding the open guys. He’s smart enough to recognize that,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao.
“He’s exactly what we’re looking for and what the doctor ordered for us,” added Guiao, whose team was seeking its second straight win at press time against the GlobalPort Batang Pier at the Philippine Arena here.
Ravena’s longtime UAAP rival, Jeron Teng, had also a solid first game in the pros.
Though he scored 16 points for the Alaska Aces, they fell 108-95 to the Magnolia Hotshots.
The former La Salle mainstay had 12 points in the first half, much to the delight of Aces coach Alex Compton.
“He did very well,” said Compton.”He’s still got some things to improve, like every player. But he’s a rookie so there’s room to learn in our defense. But he certainly doesn’t lack effort. Kid’s what we call a ‘gym rat.’ You gotta say ‘Jeron, Go home.’ Really, he just stays and works on his game. It’s just great.”
Also doing a solid job in that win was Magnolia’s Robbie Herndon. Mostly an unknown commodity before the draft, the former PBA D-League star had nine points and seven rebounds despite dealing with back spams that almost forced him to miss the season-opener.