Thirdy Ravena on being a trailblazer, lessons he learned from his first season in Japan

Thirdy Ravena is not just an Asian import in the Japan Professional Basketball League (B.League).

He is also considered as a trailblazer for paving the way for homegrown Filipino basketball players to play overseas. For him, the said title also gives him added responsibilities.

"Ang laking responsibility 'yun, especially nga ikaw ang nauna. (It's a big responsibility, especially being the first one)," Ravena said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday for his docufilm "Local Hero," which is streaming on Vivamax.

"Local Hero" tells the story of Ravena's first season in the B.League after being the first Filipino hoop star to play in the league with the San-En Neophoenix.

"You always want to show na talagang kayang-kaya, you want to stay strong. Marami kang pagdadaanan dito sa Japan, both on and off the court. It's gonna be a roller coaster ride but at the end of the day, you want to stay strong para sa lahat ng humahanga, nangangarap na basketball players, pati 'yung mga gusto pumunta, di lang sa Japan but internationally as well."

(You always want to show that it is possible, you want to stay strong. You will face a lot of challenges here in Japan, both on and off the court. It's gonna be a roller coaster ride but at the end of the day, you wanna stay strong for those admiring, dreaming basketball players who want to go not just in Japan, but internationally.)

For this season, seven additional players from the Philippines joined Ravena in Japan, including his brother, Kiefer.

"It's a great feeling to be the first one out here, even a greater feeling to see people coming in after you open the door for them kasi nga it's something that's bigger than me," he said. "I can do some stats, I can achieve great things, but what legacy will I leave behind? I think I was able to answer that pretty quickly after my first year."

Looking back, Ravena said that his first season in Japan was very challenging. He suffered an injury, he contracted COVID-19, and he was far from his family. But for him, all his experiences had a purpose.

"I feel that everything has a purpose, God has His purpose, God has a plan for everyone. I wouldn't be thinking that for sure when I was experiencing those things but definitely it taught me a lot," the San-En Asian import said in a mix of English and Filipino.

"Not being able to play allowed me to view the game from a different perspective and it made me mentally tougher na wala 'yung pamilya ko sa mga pinagdaanan ko rito (that my family was not here when I had those challenges)," Ravena said, adding that he was only able to talk to his family through video calls.

For him, all the challenges motivated him to become better.

"I feel like it allowed me to be more hungry and I think it really drove me to just keep working. If I was working 100% last season, gusto ko ngayon, 500% na itatrabaho ko because I'm motivated from everything I went through last season."

(If I was working 100% last season, now, I'll give it 500% because I'm motivated from everything I went through last season.) — LA, GMA News