November 04, 2017

Leo Austria: We're always looking for excellence

As hard as he tries, Leo Austria couldn't wipe his smile off of his face.

And he has every reason to. After all, San Miguel, the defending three-time Philippine Cup champion, just got a hell lot stronger as it secured the services of top overall selection Christian Standhardinger in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft.

So happy was Austria that he doesn't mind waiting for at least six months before getting his hand on the famed Fil-German forward.

"I think sinabi ko na before na we're willing to wait even for one or two years. It's still ok for me as long as we'll have him. He could give a lot of help for our team. Alam mo naman kami, we're always looking for excellence," the reigning two-time Coach of the Year said.

The exuberant mentor could only imagine how potent the Beermen frontline will be, with Standhardinger teaming up with four-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo up front, as well as the rookie learning the ropes from their powerhouse squad which features Mythical First Team members Arwind Santos, Chris Ross, and Alex Cabagnot, and premier sharpshooter Marcio Lassiter.

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The 28-year-old bruiser shares that elation, knowing that having those five, especially his partnership with Fajardo, could only help him be better in the long run.

"I'm very excited. June Mar is a great, great talent. He can do so many things. I'm very excited with all the matchups against us. I really wanna see that. I'm very excited on playing high-low with June Mar and it's an honor and it's a great thing that I can play with a four-time returning MVP. That's what I got, that's what I had, that's what I saw," he said.

Standhardinger might still be away from San Miguel until midway through the upcoming season, but this early, he vows that he'll show the same rugged fight he did with Gilas Pilipinas once he makes his debut in the PBA.

"I'll show a lot of puso, a lot of fight, and the rest is kinda on the side. But I'm gonna fight my heart out every time and I hope I can make this very strong team a little bit better. That's my goal," he said.(DL)