Thirdy Ravena signs with Japan’s San-En NeoPhoenix

Former Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagle Thirdy Ravena will bring his talents to Japan post-UAAP. The high-flying 23-year-old has signed with the San-En NeoPhoenix, a team in the first division of Japan’s B.League.

Thirdy will serve as San-En’s player signee in its “Asian Player Quota” spot, which is a new element of the B.League implemented for the 2020-2021 season. The “Asian Player Quota” is a system the B.League hopes will enhance the league’s level of competition and expand its business in the Asian market. In this way, this system is similar to what the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) tried out several years ago when they accepted Asian imports in 2015 and 2016. This system, however, has been discontinued by the league.

Thirdy, of course, has had a storied amateur career, being named Most Valuable Player in the UAAP Juniors Division and then winning three UAAP Seniors basketball titles with the Blue Eagles. He has also seen much action on the international stage, playing for the Philippines’ 3x3 U18 team in 2013, the national U18 team in 2014, and the men’s national team from 2018-2020.

The San-En NeoPhoenix is a team based in the Shizuoka Prefecture region of central Japan. The team was founded in 1965, having seen action in the All-Japan Professional Basketball Championships, the defunct Japan Basketball League (JBL), and the BJ League before joining the B.League in 2016. The team plays its home games at the Toyohashi City General Gymnasium, and it is coached by Serbian tactician Branislav Vićentić.

Thirdy is the second Asian import to be signed in the team’s history. In 2008, the NeoPhoenix signed 7’9 Chinese center Sun Mingming. Former PBA imports Dior Lowhorn, Rob Dozier, Jerald Honeycutt, and Herve Lamizana have also been signed by the team in the past.

Veteran Japan national team big man Atsuya Ota is part of the NeoPhoenix, as is 19-year-old rising star Yuki Kawamura, who was the first high school player signed into the B.League last season.

The B.League and the San-En NeoPhoenix will have an online press conference with Thirdy on Friday, June 26. This will be streamed on the B.League’s official Facebook page.