MANILA, Philippines – Kiefer Ravena has been nothing short of consistent in his maiden stint with the Shiga Lakestars.
Ravena has eased his way into the lineup and gained the trust of his coaches and teammates alike with his ability to adapt and give what is asked of him.
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The Lakestars are currently sixth in the Japan B. League with a 3-1 record. Leading the way from first to fifth spot are the Akita Northern Happinets, Chiba Jets, Shimane Susanoo Magic, Sun Rockers Shibuya, and Kawasaki Brave Thunders, who all sport 3-1 records but are ranked by point differential.
On opening weekend, Shiga split its series with the San-en Neophoenix (93-83 and 96-101) but this weekend, they swept the Ibaraki Robots (93-88 and 85-77)
In these past four matches, Ravena has averaged 13.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.0 steals in 28 minutes per game.
Those numbers have seen Ravena rank third in assists behind Kyoto’s Tatsuya Suzuki’s 7.5 and Chiba’s Yuki Togashi’s 7.0, and 10th in steals.
The guard’s assist to turnover ratio is 6.8-1.2. That is pretty good.
While it may not show up on the statistical sheet, Ravena has played great defense whether positional, team defense, or even denying the opponent a shot.
During matches, you can see his teammates applauding him or even looking for Ravena to run the show. A high compliment when you would think his American teammates would want to jack up as many shots as possible.
And he does all these coming off the bench.
That says a lot about his personality. While others like the stature of being a starting player, they conveniently forget it isn’t who starts, but who finishes the game. And with the game on the line, you want Kiefer Ravena on the floor.