Kiefer knows how his peers feel; Cone excited but wary

MANILA, Philippines — Been there, done that, NLEX guard Kiefer Ravena knows perfectly well how his PBA colleagues feel as they look forward to their first practice after a long layoff from basketball.

Ravena sat it out for 18 months from 2018 through 2019 to serve his FIBA suspension, an experience he remembers as he deals with the PBA’s play stoppage since March.

“It’s really difficult to stay at home and get off-rhythm and miss the competition, watch from a different perspective. Manggigigil ang lahat dyan, everybody’s excited to really come out and just start practice,” Ravena said during Tuesday’s episode of Sports Page on TV5.

“You know, just start from something small and just be excited for practice again. It’s been a long time since we’ve been excited for practice,” he added.

The PBA recently got the go-signal from the IATF to hold non-scrimmage training under strict health and safety protocols.

The pro league is targeting a July 22 start for the sessions, which will feature only four players and a trainer/coach per batch.

“Practice can’t come fast enough,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who in the same show also challenged his peers to prove the IATF did right by allowing PBA teams to train again.

“Let’s prove to them that we’re doing it the right way and that we can progress to another level. That’s the next step for us,” he added.

Cone recognized the challenges ahead and underscored the importance of discipline moving forward hopefully to playing games.

“Most important thing right now is get back to work and still stay safe. I think both of these can be done if everybody comes together,” said Cone.

“That’s the key. We can’t have a wild card out there doing his own thing instead of being part of the program for it to work and be sustained,” he added.