Kevin Racal
Kevin Kent Relato Racal (born May 16, 1991) is a Filipino professional basketball player who plays for the Converge FiberXers of the PBA. He is also a former collegiate player for the Letran Knights, helping them reach the NCAA Finals three times and winning one championship with them in 2015. College career Racal first studied at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa and suited up for the PLMun Marshalls in the UCLAA. In 2010, he led the Muntinlupa cagers to win the inaugural Coca-Cola Hoopla title by scoring 41 points and was awarded MVP of the tournament. His stint at the Coca-Cola Hoopla was a way for him to be discovered and subsequently recruited to continue his studies at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and play for the Letran Knights. In his rookie season in 2011, he was a noted slasher, averaging 6.8 points per game. His best performance of his rookie season came in a win over the San Sebastian Stags, in which he contributed 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists. He also gained a reputation as a rugged, hard-nosed defender, as shown during their Final Four match against San Sebastian (in which he nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists) and the finals series against the San Beda Red Lions in 2012. However, in Game 3 of that finals series, he shot only 1-of-9 from the field, and San Beda won the championship. Upon the graduation of Kevin Alas, Racal and playmaker Mark Cruz took over the scoring reins for the team and powered the Knights to a finals rematch against the Red Lions in 2013 but still came up short. On September 23, 2014, he suffered an ACL injury and was ruled out for the rest of the season while his team was eliminated from the Final Four contention. He returned to action for the 91st season as the Knights went for the title in his last playing year. In a win over San Beda, he scored eight of his 20 points in the fourth quarter to get into a tie for the first seed with the Perpetual Altas. He then scored 24 points in a win over the Arellano Chiefs as they swept the first round. That season, he was playing out of position as a power forward when he would normally be playing the wing positions. They successfully got back into the Final Four with a twice-to-beat advantage. From there, they got back into the finals where in Game 1, he scored a career-high 28 points to lead the team to the win. His team successfully dethroned the Red Lions in Game 3 to win the NCAA Championship, which Letran last won in 2005. In that game, he finished with 23 points, five rebounds and two assists. However, a day after he won the championship, he made racist online comments about a San Beda player. He deleted the comments and apologized on Facebook. For his performance that season,