Expectations have been high for San Miguel ever since the top brass no longer issues any marching orders as to what it wants to see from the team.
“May marching order or wala, the expectation is really high for San Miguel,” said Leo Austria. “We’re always pressured to win. Even though ‘di nila sinasabing we have to win, a lot of people are not used to seeing San Miguel losing.”
But the decorated mentor sure knows what he has to do first and foremost following his return to power in the franchise: Define the players’ roles.
If that sounds familiar, it’s exactly what he did after being tasked to guide the struggling Beermen in 2014 that led to the formation of a team so dominant that wrote PBA history along the way, winning eight championships from 2015-19.
Now, with remnants of the ‘Death Five’ he built in June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, and Chris Ross still in the present-day SMB, the 66-year-old is planning to apply the same formula that worked wonders not so long ago.
“Right now, they want to develop a winning attitude, dahil that’s the most important thing in the team eh. Even though you have a lot of talented players, if you don’t know how to win collectively, it’s very hard,” Austria said.
“That’s what I developed in our team before that’s why there were good results. The players knew it,” added the nine-time champion, the architect of the unprecedented Philippine Cup five-peat highlighted by the Beeracle run in 2016.
Austria on Thursday — during the SMC Christmas party — was reappointed as the chief bench tactician of San Miguel in a move done after the team fell to its second loss in a row in the ongoing Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.
He switched places with former head coach Jorge Gallent, who has now assumed the three-time Coach of the Year’s role as team consultant.
(C) PBA Images
The announcement came out on Friday and it was welcomed by the club’s faithful, especially those who have been calling for change after their team fell to 1-2 in the ongoing conference following losses to NLEX and Rain or Shine.
And the reunion of sorts seemingly gave San Miguel renewed hope as well after it beat Terrafirma the night the news came out, 106-88.
“I’m so happy to be back and get my first win after years on the sidelines,” said Austria after the match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
As happy as he is, it only marks the start of the work ahead with Austria back at the helm of the franchise and as mentioned, that begins by defining what is expected from each and every Beerman at his disposal.
Their game on Friday was actually an experience for the others in the team of what he wants to do by making Fajardo, Lassiter, and Ross starters.
“These three guys — June Mar, Marcio, [Chris] — these are the focal points of our offense, ano, a few years back. And I want the new players to know what really happened in our team before,” he said.
It was a move by Austria to show particularly the newer ones that they would have to earn their minutes if they are to spend more time on the court.
“We want to build a winning attitude among the players,” he said. “It’s not an equal opportunity for the players. Our goal is to win. Maybe the rotation will not be that much, because I would like to define the role of the player.”
So far, and although one game may be too small of a sample size, there are already those who are grasping what Austria is pointing out.
“If you’re playing well, just like today in the third quarter, fourth quarter, the second group was inside sina [Andreas] Cahilig, [Don] Trollano, and then Juami [Tiongson], that’s the time na lumamang kami eh,” he said,
“Nag-start ‘yun from the core, na nandoon si Lassiter, si Chris Ross, tsaka si June Mar,” he added, referring to their second-half surge.
Interesting times ahead for San Miguel, indeed.
