THE struggling San-En NeoPhoenix may no longer have a shot to make it to the Japan B.League playoffs, but Thirdy Ravena remains motivated to compete for until the very end.

Admitting he’s far from 100 percent, the Filipino guard has shown his commitment to help the NeoPhoenix in the final stretch of the regular season.

Far from his usual deadly form, Ravena believes that he has a lot of catching up even after San-En’s 82-76 win over the Shiga Lakestars last Sunday that ended a seven-game slide.

“I’m happy definitely that my condition’s getting better, although I’m still not where I personally want to be,” Ravena said in an online interview.

“Maybe I’m at about 70-80 percent,” he added.

It was Ravena’s first taste of victory since coming back from an almost three-month layoff after suffering a fractured right index finger earlier this year.

The NeoPhoenix hold the league’s second-worst record at 12-41.

San-En hopes to make the most out of the momentum from its previous game against the West Division leaders Ryukyu Golden Kings (37-11) today.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado