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    Thirdy Ravena hoping San-En can reach playoffs this time

    Thirdy Ravena upbeat on San-En's chances in third year
    Jan 15, 2023
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    THIRDY Ravena couldn't help but smile knowing that San-En is in a far better place than where it was in the past two seasons.

    "I think even you can attest na it's a little bit different," he said.

    See Kiefer keeping positive as cellar-dwelling Shiga tries to rise

    San-En has really changed it up for the 2022-23 Japan B.League season, retooling with massive hirings led by former MVP Kosuke Kanamaru from Shimane Susanoo Magic.

    The NeoPhoenix also added assets in Kazuki Hosokawa from Kyoto Hannaryz, Ryusei Sasaki from second division club Kumamoto Volters, and import Kyle Collinsworth from SeaHorses Mikawa.

    San-En registered a 13-16 win-loss record for the first half of the season, more than their 12-win total in Ravena's first year in 2020-21 and their 10-win output in 2021-22.

    "Last season, we had 10 wins and we surpassed it already before we even reached the second half of the season," said the 6-foot-3 guard.

    thirdy ravena

    However, San-En hasn't escaped the injury bug with imports like Kanamaru, Collinsworth, and Yante Maten all going down with injuries, leaving Isaiah Hicks as the lone reinforcement to play during that stretch where the team suffered an eight-game losing streak.

    "It's always tough to have injuries on the team and something that we didn't expect," Ravena lamented. "I'm not using it as an excuse but we started losing when two of our imports got injured and we had to play with one. And then eventually Kosuke, a former MVP of the B.League, got injured as well and it was very tough for us."

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      But the NeoPhoenix did address these deficiencies, signing imports Daniel Giddens and eight-year NBA veteran Kyle O'Quinn that allowed the team to recover just before the All-Star break.

      "With their addition and with how everybody just stepped up, na inisip namin that we have to play better especially when guys are out, I think we're faring towards the better end of the spectrum. So I feel like it's been getting a little bit better and hopefully, it gets a whole lot more," he said.

      Ravena averages 11.48 points, 4.9 assists, 4.55 rebounds, and 1.17 steals in 25.5 minutes of play as he has earned his place in San-En's starting lineup.

      And he's not satisfied, believing that the NeoPhoenix can still be better and hopefully, make a late push to make it to the league's top eight and the playoffs.

      "There's still a whole lot more to improve on. We're certainly not in a position where we're very happy about or to be in, but we have to take it one game at a time because we put ourselves in that hole but we had to dig ourselves out of it. That's our challenge as a team," he said.

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      "We'll try our best for sure. But hopefully, that's the goal, to make it to the playoffs."

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