Terrafirma has long been yearning for a reliable inside presence and that is why head coach Johnedel Cardel couldn’t be any happier that their wish finally got granted following a blockbuster trade on Saturday that shook the PBA.
The Dyip will have Christian Standhardinger aboard as they acquired the two-time BPC and Stanley Pringle from Ginebra for Stephen Holt and Isaac Go in a deal that also involved a swap of first-round picks in Sunday’s Season 49 Draft.
“C-Stan, siyempre, he’s one of the best big men with [June Mar] Fajardo,” the veteran mentor told Tiebreaker Times.
“Meron na akong pang-ilalim.”
Terrafirma is actually one of the few teams in the league that boast of size and length up front, but never really had a figure to lean on within the shaded lane.
(C) PBA Images
Last season alone saw bigs like Go and the lanky Kemark Carino help a great deal in their rare quarterfinal appearance in the Philippine Cup, and both of them delivered the goods as solid floor-spacers with their sweet shooting.
“Lahat naman ng big man ko sa Terra, nakita mo all pick-and-pop players,” said Cardel, who’s been manning the team’s sidelines since 2018.
Now, they have Standhardinger, who’s giving June Mar Fajardo stiff competition for the Season 48 MVP award. He’s currently in second in the statistical points race with 37.8 SPs behind numbers of 19.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists.
And with another former BPC in Pringle in tow, plus the holdovers – led of course by star guard Juami Tiongson – and the rookis they’ll be picking in the Draft, Cardel can’t wait to go back to work with his new-look crew.
“Itong what happened sa trade, I’m happy about that,” he expressed. “C-Stan and Stanley, talagang ‘yang mga player na ‘yan, made na ‘yan eh. Hindi ako magwo-worry sa decision making kasi alam na nila gagawin nila.
“I’m so excited sa dalawang ‘to and sa rookies na kukunin namin para makabuo ulit kami, and be a competitive team again sa darating na conference.”
