MANILA, Philippines – It is the first meeting between archrivals Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 80 men's basketball tournament. There are 26 seconds left in the game, and Thirdy Ravena is about to make a bad decision.

The ball is in his hands, and the Blue Eagles are down by a point. Ravena isolates against the smaller Andrei Caracut. He makes his move with 13 seconds left. He rumbles to the lane, spins, and runs right into three Green Archers.

Ricci Rivero blocks his shot, and time runs out for Ateneo. The 24-second violation seems to seal the victory for La Salle. Fortunately for Ravena, Matt Nieto is there to bail him out: their unflappable point guard forces a turnover in La Salle's next possession, fishes for a foul, and knocks down two cold-blooded free throws with just a shade over three seconds left. Ateneo hacks out a 76-75 win to sweep the first round.

When he looked back at the sequence a few months later, Thirdy was brutally honest. "Obviously," he said, "I wasn't thinking."

"It's one of those things na pinagdadaanan mo talaga as a player," he said. "Some of the things, kailangan pagdaanan mo para matutunan mo 'yung gagawin. And after that… I mean, I learned from it."

Some two months later, Ravena showed how well he learned.

It is the final meeting between the archrivals – Game 3 of the Season 80 finals -- the ball is again in his hands. Ateneo is clinging to an 82-80 lead with 40 seconds left, and momentum is on La Salle's side. Nieto shovels the ball to Ravena as the clock winds down. Ravena again rumbles to the lane, and as he did two months ago, he runs into three Green Archers.

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This time, he does not force the shot. Thirdy spins and passes to Isaac Go, who is wide open beyond the arc. The big man lets it fly, just in time to avoid a possible block from Kib Montalbo. The high-arching shot hits nothing but net; it is the dagger that Ateneo needs to win Game 3, and clinch their first UAAP title since 2012.

After the game, Go is the hero: the big man's name is chanted by the Ateneo community at the Araneta Coliseum. Ravena's assist is almost an afterthought. But to his coaches, the play showed how quickly he learned, how rapidly he developed throughout Season 80.

"He learned," Ateneo coach Sandy Arespacochaga said. "He made the winning play."

"That's something to be proud of. Not a lot of people recognize or even give him credit for it, because it was not the winning basket. So that's what we're most proud of with Thirdy," he added.

• LOOK: Ateneo celebrates latest basketball title with signature bonfire

Finals MVP

This is not to say that Ravena did not get any recognition. He made it to the Mythical Five, and after they won the championship, he was named Finals MVP, thanks to averages of 16.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in the three-game series.

For many, this was the moment that Ravena officially emerged from the considerable shadow of his older brother, Kiefer, and established himself as a star on his own.

This sentiment is understandable. For most of his basketball career, Thirdy has been known as Kiefer's younger brother, or "the other Ravena." (Even LeBron James knows about these comparisons.) It did not help that Thirdy struggled to live up to his billing as a blue-chip recruit in his rookie year, or that he sat out what should have been his sophomore season in the UAAP due to academic deficiencies.

Kiefer, however, does not share this sentiment.

For "Manong," his younger brother has been out his shadow ever since Thirdy won the Juniors MVP award in UAAP Season 76 – a trophy that, incidentally, Kiefer never won.

"He's been out of my shadow since he was the UAAP juniors MVP, I believe that," said Kiefer.

Still, even Kiefer cannot deny that Thirdy's rookie season for Ateneo was a disappointment, especially when compared to his own glittering freshman year. After establishing himself as an all-around player – a triple-double threat – in high school, Thirdy often looked shell-shocked as a rookie: he averaged only seven minutes per game and contributed 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest – paltry numbers for a much-hyped recruit.

When Thirdy missed Season 78 – Kiefer's final year – the critics were out in full force. While Kiefer was winning a second straight MVP trophy, Thirdy could not even practice with the Blue Eagles. He worked out on his own, focused on his academics, and dreamt of the day he could return to the UAAP.

• READ: Kiefer's brother Thirdy ineligible in Season 78

And what a return it was. Thirdy was finally able to display his talents in Season 79, and made it to the Mythical Five despite a relatively uneven campaign. He helped Ateneo reach the finals, where they lost to La Salle in two games. But that only sowed the seeds for their incredible campaign in Season 80, where Thirdy placed second in the MVP race behind La Salle's Ben Mbala, and was clearly the best player of the triumphant team.

"Seeing how the game is for him right now, I would say that it's very dangerous for the other teams," Kiefer said of his brother. "It's the time where he grows, he matures, and sees what he's capable of doing. I'm just so happy for him."

A message from Coach Tab

Kiefer did not watch Game 3 of the Season 80 finals. He was at home, so he was unable to share in the Blue Eagles' moment of triumph. He watched on television as an emotional, tearful Thirdy jumped to the bleachers to hug their parents and youngest sibling, Dani, moments after the final buzzer sounded.

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In a way, it was fitting. The spotlight was entirely on Thirdy and the Blue Eagles. For the first time in a very, very long time, Thirdy shared top billing not with his celebrated older brother, but with his "band of brothers" with whom he won a championship.

Because this is the truth: Thirdy used to hear all the comparisons made about him and his brother, and he internalized them. Publicly, he shrugged them off, but they were at the back of his mind. And subconsciously, he wondered why he could not live up to those comparisons.

"Kahit subconscious siya, parang naiisip mo na… shucks, gusto ko mag-MVP tulad ng kapatid ko," Thirdy admitted. "My brother scored 37 points against UE. Why can't I do that?"

"That would obviously come to your mind, kahit sabihin kong hindi. Subconsciously, probably it did, because growing up, I was watching those games," he added.

It was not until Tab Baldwin took over as head coach of the Blue Eagles last year that Thirdy gained a different perspective.

"Coach Tab gave me an understanding, that it's never been about that," Thirdy pointed out. "It's never been about trying to be what your dad has accomplished, trying to achieve everything that your brother has achieved."

"But instead, it's about you trying to be the best player that you could possibly be. Because that's the goal of everyone, to try and reach their potential," he explained.

"Because if you think about those things, parang nawawala 'yung focus mo. Parang, 'ganito 'yung kaya kong gawin, pero gusto ko gawin kung ano 'yung ginawa ng kapatid ko.' Alam mo 'yun? Parang natatanggal 'yung focus? And in that sense, you don't become the player that you could be."

Baldwin gave this message to Thirdy ahead of Season 79 and his return to the UAAP. But it was not until Season 80 that he fully imbibed his coach's message.

Thirdy and Kiefer have always been wildly different players: Kiefer was the crafty scorer, the one who could drop 30 points a game or hit six three-pointers in a quarter. Thirdy, even in high school, had been more of a physical specimen: a battering ram who got his points by slashing to the hoop or putting back misses from his teammates.

In Season 80, Thirdy simply played his game. He slowed down a bit. Arespacochaga noted that Thirdy showed a deeper understanding of the game this year, and thus was able to read defenses better.

But through it all, his game was pure Thirdy, and not some facsimile of Kiefer's. He barreled to the rim, he soared high for offensive rebounds, he leapt for dunks. Moreover, he defended: the Ateneo coaches sent Thirdy after some of the best scorers in the UAAP, and he relished in limiting them.

He continued to hear comparisons to his brother – and even to their father, Bong Ravena – but Thirdy paid them no mind. For the first time, he was not hearing those comparisons in his subconscious. The only voice he heard was that of Baldwin telling him what he needed to do to become the best version of himself.

"Coach Tab gave me that understanding, and I'm thankful for that, I'm thankful for everything that he has taught me," said Thirdy. "Right now, it's actually about, what can I do next, how can I improve my game? How could I improve what I did wrong last year, how could I not repeat the same mistakes."

Take every advantage

A post shared by Thirdy (@3rd_e) on Dec 4, 2017 at 12:20am PST

Here is another truth: living in the shadow of his older brother is both a curse and a blessing for Thirdy.

A curse, because as Arespacochaga pointed out, people expected Thirdy to be like Kiefer, even when he did not need to. A curse, because as Thirdy himself acknowledged, the comparisons were always at the back of his mind.

"It's not easy living under Kiefer's shadow," said Arespacochaga.
"(Kiefer is) a guy who's won in a lot of levels already… a lot of people expected Thirdy to be like Kiefer, in the sense that Kiefer was The Man, and he made the winning plays, the winning baskets all the time."

"That's what Thirdy has to deal with," said the coach, even as he stressed that Thirdy had nothing but love for his older brother.

Indeed, Thirdy is the first to point out that for all the comparisons, for all the criticisms, being Kiefer Ravena's younger brother – and Bong Ravena's son – is a blessing. It is not just because he clearly adores his family. As an athlete, Thirdy has an advantage that few other players have access to.

After all, not every UAAP player can say that they receive feedback and coaching from a former PBA Rookie of the Year and a former two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player on a regular basis.

"It's a different feeling. Mas doon na ako naka-focus on what I can do, and how I can use my brother and my dad as tools, as extra coaches," Thirdy explained.

"You know, if they teach me the things na mali 'yung ginawa nila before, that would be a great help to me!" he said. "Hindi ko na kailangan magkamali para hindi ulitin 'yun, gets? So hindi ko na kailangan pagdaanan 'yun."

Instead of dwelling on comparisons and lamenting how he is unable to be like his brother, Thirdy would much rather learn from Kiefer, just as Kiefer learned from their father.

A post shared by Thirdy (@3rd_e) on Jun 18, 2017 at 6:53am PDT

"Imbis na gawin kong goal is to be like them, I would rather na learn and just like, inculcate all the knowledge, all the lessons that they can possibly teach me and use that to my advantage," he said.

"Instead of committing the same mistakes and trying to learn like a player who didn't have a brother like my brother or a dad like my dad. That's how I could use it to my advantage."

Another leap

The past week has been excellent for Thirdy Ravena and the Blue Eagles. They've wrapped up their finals exams, made several media appearances to discuss their journey in Season 80, celebrated with a traditional bonfire, and on Sunday, received brand new iPhone X units.

They are enjoying the fruits of their labor after a very long season, but come January, the process starts all over again. This time, it figures to be even more difficult: La Salle just showed how tough it is to defend a championship, even with a tremendously talented roster.

Thirdy said they are ready to work hard all over again. "It just validated that extreme hard work works," he said of their title. "If you do it, it works."

"And if it works, then why not do it again?" he pointed out.

The Ateneo coaches will surely be happy to know that this is the mindset of their players, especially Thirdy. Already, much is expected of the 6-foot-2 forward, who will look to make another leap in his game after showing great improvement in the past season.

"We're just hoping that he continues to learn and improve, and he'll be consistent that way, because he's got two more years left, and you know, the kid's got a lot of potential," said Arespacochaga.

"We're looking at him improving for next year. That's what we're looking for, with all of our players. But you know, he can improve some more. He can improve some more. So, we are also excited for him in the future."

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