A good problem for NLEX
Two of NLEX’s promising guards were loaned to play for Gilas Pilipinas national team — young point guard Kevin Alas and rookie quarterback Kiefer Ravena. Their inclusion to the national team’s program is validation enough that these two guards are the future of the Road Warriors backcourt tandem.
Both guards are interchangeable which could allow them to either co-exist or relieve one another.
The inclusion of Ravena, who was picked second overall in this year’s PBA Rookie Draft, would add him to already loaded backcourt rotation of the Road Warriors. They also have versatile player Alex Mallari and two other point guards — Juami Tiongson and Emman Monfort.
Head coach Yeng Guiao sees it as a good problem though.
It is the same situation the multi-titled mentor faced when he coached the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, a team stacked with a heavy guard rotation, but he managed to lead the team to two championships in his five-year tenure as bench tactician of the squad.
As general manager and coach of the Road Warriors, Guiao was given a free hand to choose the players he wanted for the team. Alas and Ravena will be the future of his squad. Both second generation players are expected to come out better once they return to the Road Warriors camp following their stint with Gilas Pilipinas. It is the same situation that happened to Beau Belga, who was once loaned to the national team program as part of the training team.
Long considered as a league enforcer, Belga returned as a wiser, better player and became an integral part of the Elasto Painters’ championship team.
Alas and Ravena were both included in the Gilas program, but this is the first time they’re playing in the elite level such as the home and away World Cup qualifier.
Last season, Alas had emerged as one of the league’s top guards and was in fact included as among the candidates for the Most Improved Player award.
Ravena, on the other hand, patiently waited for the right time to go to the pros.
He was considered as pro- ready as early as two years ago, but continued to work on the different facets of his game by training in the United States and even worked on a team in the NBA D- League. He continuously served the national team in any level.
If the third conference of last season will be a gauge, the Road Warriors are ready to ride on the momentum of that good campaign and they will be needing the right men at the wheel in Alas and Ravena, who will try to drive NLEX’s way as among the
top competitors in the PBA.