Kiefer Ravena to join Thirdy in B. League after being acquired by Shiga

The footprint of Japan’s B.League in the Philippines has just got bigger after the Shiga Lakestars acquired Gilas Pilipinas captain Kiefer Ravena for the upcoming season this Wednesday morning.

Based in Otsu, the capital city of Shiga Prefecture, the Lakestars also acquired Luis Guil as its new head coach ahead of their press conference on June 7, replacing Australian mentor Shawn Dennis who led them to a 23-36 record last season which was only good for 12^th place in the standings.

Ravena, who had just signed a three-year extension with PBA’s NLEX in September 2020, was assigned as its Asian Player quota, joining his brother and San-En’s Thirdy as the Filipinos in the B.League. Earlier in the month, he was the country's first athlete to sign with the famed Jordan Brand.

The former two-time UAAP MVP was an ever present figure in the national set-up from the youth team to the senior side, as he won five straight SEA Games gold medals from 2011-19 and was part of the ill-fated Gilas that finished dead last in most recent FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Ravena's most recent stint with the Road Warriors came in the Clark bubble, where they missed the playoffs by just one game after finishing their Philippine Cup campaign with a 5-6 record.

Guil, meanwhile, had an illustrious CV in coaching before taking on the job, as he had stints in the ACB with Fuenlabrada, Murcia and Zaragoza before heading to Japan as the head coach of second-division Saga Ballooners.

On the international stage, he was an ever present figure in the sidelines for his native Spain, as he was the lead assistant to Sergio Scariolo for the past four years, including their title conquest in China when the Spaniards took home the top honors for the second time.

He was first known for taking the FIBA Europe U18 gold at home in Zaragoza in 2004 in the Spanish side that had Sergio Rodriguez, Carlos Suarez and Sergio Llull on their roster.

PHOTOS: Shiga Lakestars/B.League (Cover), FIBA