Ateneo’s Aaron Black credits Kiefer Ravena for breakout performance

MANILA, Philippines – He wore familiar letters on his back when took the floor on Sunday night’s UAAP action. The general impression was he was the next big thing for the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

And that was reinforced after a stellar shooting.

“Black,” the blue uniform read. He was the son of the Eagles’ fabled and decorated tactician. He was no rookie, but the spotlight shone the brightest on him after leading his squad to victory against a tested UST Growling Tigers side.

“I wouldn’t say I’m the top guy,” Black told reporters after the game. “We want to do things as a team. That’s coach Tab Baldwin’s philosophy.”

A quick glance at the stats sheet pencils the sophomore guard as the leading scorer. A further scan would read distributed figures among its other players. Thirdy Ravena chimed in 17 points, Mike Nieto tallied seven, Anton Asistio registered six while John Wong added five.

And the chunk of those numbers came when it mattered the most. The Growling Tigers were thorns on the Eagles’ side for three quarters. It was only until Jolo Mendoza sparked a 7-0 run in the fourth that they started to be in full sync.

“I think we came out sluggish to start the game,” Black said. “We had a very good team effort today. A lot of guys stepped up.”

And while the young cager lauded his peers in a valiant stand, he also credits his learning experience from another familiar name.

Ravena.

“I guess I learned a lot from the MVP last year. I was able to pick a lot of things. He was able to teach me some things that I’m able to bring this season,” Black said of Kiefer, who is arguably the most watched amateur player since his juniors conquest.

Not resting on his laurels, Black is already thinking about the next game, where they will tangle with another experienced crew in Eric Altamirano’s National University.

“They’re always tough every year. They’re also tough in FilOil (summer league),” he said. “We’re planning to study them and to know their personnel, to be able to defend them when we come out and play on Sunday.”