Doping ban aside, game not yet over for Kiefer Ravena

Kiefer Ravena

I immensely enjoyed watching the PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) All-Star exhibition game of Team Visayas versus Gilas Pilipinas in my second home, Iloilo. Congratulations to PBA commissioner Willy Marcial for the success of the annual event.

It was a delight to watch PBA superstars from different ball clubs play for one team (such as June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beermen and Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra). That can only happen at the All-Star games.
Aside from the exciting game, the procagers regaled the jam-packed audience with their dance number.

Spotted on court side was Phillip Salvador. At the after-party, my amigo James Yap told me that he approached Ipe prior to the game. They exchanged pleasantries. “Hambal n’ya sa akon nagkadto siya di sa Iloilo para maglantaw sa akong hampang.” (He told me that he came here to watch my game.)

Cordial amid controversies

As I’ve mentioned in a previous column, it’s good to know that the two gentlemen are cordial with each other despite the controversies that hound them from time to time because of their common “ex” factor.

The day before news broke out about Fiba’s 18-month suspension of Kiefer Ravena from playing basketball due to his
use of performance-enhancing drugs, I bumped into his parents, Bong and Mozzy, in Iloilo.

I told them that Kief is a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year in PBA. They were both elated.
Hopefully, the ban won’t dampen Kief’s chances of bagging the much-coveted award. NLEX’s prized cager has admitted that it was an honest mistake because he wasn’t aware that the pregame drink he took contained drugs prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

I checked on his mom, Mozzy, amid the controversy.
“I hope people won’t misinterpret the news,” she lamented. “As a pro athlete, Kief leads a healthy lifestyle and is not into illegal drugs.”

My heart goes out to the Ravenas. Bashers have a way of blowing things out of proportion. But fans of the beleaguered baller have expressed their support with the hashtags #kiefthefaith and #westandwithkiefer.

Show biz career

Since Kief dabbled in acting a few years ago in TV5’s defunct comedy show, “No Harm, No Foul,” topbilled by Ogie Alcasid, it might be a good idea for him to resume his thwarted show biz career while he’s in hiatus from basketball.

Change court for now, but it’s definitely not “game over” for the young PBA superstar.

Personal: Thanks a million to my MVP friend Chris Ross, Mareng Sienna Olaso and Dave Corros for the PBA All-Star tickets.