THIRDY Ravena is set to mark his return for Gilas Pilipinas.
The 24-year-old guard confirmed to SPIN.ph on Thursday that he has received an invite to rejoin the national team once it heads back to its training bubble at Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba in the third week of July.
"Yes, I've got an invite, and I'm still talking to Gilas to see what the plans are," he shared.
Ravena's arrival will be a big boost for the already talent-packed Gilas pool, which will now prepare for the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia in August.
The youthful Nationals are looking to build on their progress in the Clark bubble as well as in the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.
The 6-foot-3 high-flyer is coming off his first full season as an import for San-En NeoPhoenix where he averaged 9.1 points on 36-percent shooting, to go with 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 22.8 minutes of action across 18 games.
Now he'll get the chance to play for the Philippines anew before he heads back to Japan for his sophomore season.
"Yes, of course. Playing in the national team is the highest form of it," he said.
Ravena suited up for Gilas in the first window of the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers back in February 2020, where he posted averages of 23 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the Philippines' 100-70 win over Indonesia in Jakarta.
He also reiterated that this stint won't run in conflict with his campaign with San-En in the 2021-22 B.League season kicking off in October.
"No problem," added Thirdy.
Nothing but pride for Gilas
Having tuned in on the Gilas' games from Clark to Belgrade, Ravena was full of praise for what was easily the youngest yet the tallest pool ever built for the seniors team in history - 80-percent of which are his former Ateneo peers.
"I really enjoyed watching every bit of it. Ang sarap panoorin nang may sistema. See, kung sino yung open, sa kanya ipapasa. It's obvious that they're not doing it for themselves but for their team," he said.
"And that's when you actually start enjoying the sport when everyone's having fun."
Ravena also knew business would be great from Day One with coach Tab Baldwin as their head tactician.
"It's coach Tab. You can't expect anything less in terms of preparations and tactics, that's on him. I'm so proud of the team," he added.
And that's why one can't fault Thirdy for being this excited to play for Gilas anew.
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