San Miguel Beermen. PBA IMAGES
It may sound odd for some, but San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria had very specific instructions for his Beermen heading into the holiday break.
“I just asked them not to indulge [on food] so much,” Austria said as his PBA Philippine Cup-leading Beermen return to action after more than 10 days.
The Beermen square off with dangerous Meralco at the start of a stretch that their coach describes as “very crucial.”
“They are responsible enough because they know what is at stake for us,” he said as he prepared to leave home for practice to prep the Beermen for their 7 p.m. collision with the Bolts at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay. “We need to play well in this stretch if we want to have a chance at achieving our [elimination round] goal.”
Austria made it no secret that their goal is landing a spot in the top two, and Meralco is the first of four tough assignments they have in the next three weeks, with Blackwater, Rain or Shine, GlobalPort and TNT KaTropa to come next.
“This is an opportunity for us to show our worth,” Austria said.
Meanwhile, after snapping out of a funk, Phoenix Petroleum shoots for a second straight victory in the 4:15 p.m. curtain raiser against GlobalPort, with the Fuel Masters shooting for a follow-up of an impressive 94-90 conquest of the Bolts last week.
The Batang Pier, on the other hand, are still smarting from a 99-91 loss at the hands of Blackwater and are itching to get back on track using the Terrence Romeo-Stanley Pringle combination to grab a piece of second place at the end of the year.
San Miguel wants the highest finish possible after the eliminations to earn a light assignment in the first round of the playoffs, which could, obviously, help the Beermen preserve strength as they go for the franchise’s first “three-peat” in the league’s most prestigious conference.
To show that he meant business in asking his players to stay away from things that would put them out of shape, Austria has showed up in practices with the same fit form that he has had even after being retired for several decades.
“I also stayed away from lechon, and other food,” he told the Inquirer with a laugh. “It’s also to show them that I practice what I preach, and also, because of my age, I also have to stay healthy.”
For Austria, staying healthy for the Beermen also means staying on top of the standings.