Overseas prospects

The lure of playing basketball overseas is extremely tempting with high salaries and an expatriate lifestyle on the table.

- JOAQUIN M. HENSON

But the trimmings are only half the deal. The other half is whether there is gratification in playing the game.

Take Thirdy Ravena's case. He jumped off the Japan B-League bandwagon to test the waters beyond East Asia and signed with BC Dubai in the United Arab Emirates-Adriatic League. Ravena's the only Filipino in the stacked roster that lists Latvia's NBA veteran Davis Bertans, Italian national player Awudu Abass, Slovenian national player Klemen Prepelic, Serbian national player Danilo Andjusic, Jacorey Williams of Middle Tennessee State and NBA veteran Isaiah Taylor.