Following in daddy’s footsteps

If any of the names below sound familiar to you, it’s because they are descendants of former professional players who became famous on the basketball scene during its heyday.

Jeron and Jeric Teng, DLSU and UST

Jeric, the former UAAP Rookie of the Year, will be playing in his fourth season with the UST Growling Tigers. With his ability to handle the ball and shoot from long range, he remains a solid prospect for the pros.

Meanwhile, his younger brother Jeron made headlines last year when he scored 104 points in a high school game against Grace Christian High School at the Tiong Lian Tournament.

Although he had the opportunity to hone his game for the Youth PR Team, it remains to be seen if he can continue to become a dominant force in the most competitive UAAP Tournament.

Thirdy and Keifer Ravena, Athenaeum

Keifer Ravena joined the Blue Eagles Athenaeum in 2011 to much fanfare after a dominant high school career where he won multiple titles and championships with the Eaglets.

As a rookie, he was instrumental in helping the Blue Eagles capture their fourth consecutive UAAP championship and was validated with a Rookie of the Year award. He also played for the Sinag Team, which won the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games last year.

It is very likely that Thirdy, Keifer’s younger brother and second son of the great Bong Ravena of the PBA, will follow him soon.

Thirdy is proving that he can keep up with the Ravenas, averaging 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the FilOil preseason tournament as of this writing.

Kobe and Andre Paras, La Salle Green Hills

Andre and Kobe are currently playing for the LSGH Greenies in the NCAA Juniors Tournament. They are both sons of the great basketball comedian Benjie Paras.

Andre played a pivotal role in the Greenies’ successful run to the NCAA Junior Finals last season, when they upset the San Beda Red Lions in Game One of the Best-of-Three Championship. It was the Red Cubs’ first loss that season after sweeping in the knockout round.

Andre scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth period, including a three-point play from the lead with 1:04 left. Although the Greenies eventually succumbed to the Red Lions, they put Andre on the radar.

Andre, along with his younger brother Kobe, is currently in action at the FilOil preseason tournament and is averaging 11.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, a team-high. On the other hand, Kobe, who appeared in two games, is averaging 1.0 point, 0.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist.

Despite his work as a comedian, basketball remained serious business for Benjie. Known as the Tower of Power and the only rookie MVP winner in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association, Benjie was one of the most vocal critics of the so-called Fil-Shams’ entry into the PBA in the late 1990s, which fueled his drive to win the MVP award in 1999.

Gwynne and Gabe Capacio, Athenaeum

Gabe Capacio is currently playing for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and is averaging 9.7 points and five rebounds in the FilOil preseason tournament at the time of writing. Meanwhile, his older brother Gwynne is playing his freshman year for the Blue Eagles Athenaeum after his stint in high school with De La Salle-Zobel Bengals.

Gabe and Gwynne are the sons of former FEU head coach Glen Capacio. Glen, a very effective role player for Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog during his professional career at the PBA, led Tamaraws to an appearance at the UAAP Finals in 2010.

Aaron Black, Athenaeum

Aaron Black, the son of former PBA importer and current Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Norman Black, currently plays for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. As of this writing, Aaron is averaging 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in a non-title role for the Blue Eaglets in the FilOil preseason tournament.

Norman, who was hired by the Blue Eagles as a team advisor in 2004, has won the last four UAAP championships and will be aiming for his fifth, and highly anticipated final championship, as the head coach of the Athenaeum before assuming the coaching role. in chief of the Talk and Text Texters Tropang at the PBA. This kid is definitely getting the training he needs to take his game to the next level.

Bobby Ray Parks Jr., National University

Bobby Ray Parks Jr. was an elite prospect in the United States before packing up and leaving to play for the NU Bulldogs in 2011.

After an impressive performance at the Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Oregon in 2010 (22 points per game on 44.4 percent from 3-point shots) and signing a letter of intent with the Georgia Tech yellow jackets, it seemed strange. that Bobby Ray gave up all the chances. in front of him and takes off across the Pacific to play for his mother’s homeland.

However, that was only half the story. In a story that appeared on CNNSI in April 2011, SI’s Luke Winn wrote that Bobby Ray Jr. was forced to move by his desire to be with his father, Bobby Sr., who was then battling cancer and employed. of NU Bulldogs as Director. Sports Development.

Since then, Bobby Ray has won the UAAP MVP and represented the country at the Southeast Asian Games as part of the Sinag Basketball Program. He is also seen as a member of the Smart-Gilas II program and is a PBA favorite.

Bobby Ray is currently averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Bulldogs 7-0 in the FilOil preseason tournament. The Bulldogs, who will play some of their games at the newly opened SM Arena (technically their local gym) can make a serious run for the UAAP championship this season.

Bobby Sr. is no stranger to basketball in the Philippines. He is one of the most celebrated imports in PBA history, having played for popular teams such as San Miguel, Anejo Rhum, and Formula Shell.

He was also the second American to be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame (2009).

Jun, Kevin, Kenneth Alas, Letran

The last name Alas has been synonymous with the Letran Knights basketball show and it seems that the family is determined to maintain their reign.

After Patriarch Louie Alas led the Knights to several championships (the last one in 2005), his sons Kevin and Jun decided to move on with their father.

Kevin has arguably been more successful than his older brother after productive seasons with Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBA D-League, his inclusion in the 87th NCAA Season Mythical Team and his highly publicized training with the Los Angeles Slam, a semi-professional team in the American Basketball Association.

Kenneth is the coach’s third child with multiple titles. He currently plays for the Squires in the Juniors division and averages 19 points per game, the team’s highest, in the FilOil preseason tournament.

Keifer, still a young child, is very likely to follow the path that his father and older brothers have taken. He’s a staple in Letran games and can be seen doing pre-game warm-ups with the team in his own kid-sized Knights uniform.

You probably won’t see action for the Squires until around 2020.