THIRDY Ravena will get his shot at representing the country as he was included in coach Yeng Guiao's 12-man roster for Gilas Pilipinas' game against Qatar in the 2019 Fiba World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The high-flying Ateneo forward will join naturalized player Andray Blatche, June Mar Fajardo, Troy Rosario, Jayson Castro, Paul Lee, Marcio Lassiter, Gabe Norwood, Scottie Thompson, Poy Erram, Mark Barroca, and Japeth Aguilar in the squad which will see action in Doha on Thursday.
Roger Pogoy will be serving the last of his five-game ban from the infamous brawl against Australia last year while Raymond Almazan sprained his left ankle during the team's practice last Sunday, opening one spot for the younger brother of Gilas mainstay Kiefer Ravena.
Thirdy, named the UAAP Finals MVP last season after leading Ateneo to the championship, also played well in Team Pilipinas' lone tune-up against the Meralco Bolts last week.
The Philippines is in a must-win situation in Group F with its 5-5 win-loss record, needing to sweep road games against Qatar and Kazakhstan to get a chance at advancing to the 2019 Fiba World Cup in China come August.
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