Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Surprisingly ranking just third among locals in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game, June Mar Fajardo shared that he doesn’t really mind his standing in the statistics.
“It’s OK,” he said with a grin after San Miguel’s 112-101 victory over GlobalPort on Friday.
The three-time PBA Most Valuable Player has every reason to be satisfied, with the rest of the Beermen picking up the slack when it comes to the boards.
Fajardo said that San Miguel has put on extra work on its team rebounding, thus the explanation for the rise of boards for its backcourt.
To wit, in the Beermen’s victory over the Batang Pier, Alex Cabagnot hauled down 10 rebounds, Chris Ross got six boards, and Marcio Lassiter had four.
“We really worked out on that, that the rebounding won’t be the responsibility of the big men alone,” the 6-foot-10 giant said in Filipino. “I’m boxing out the opponent’s imports and their big men, so we really have to rebound as a team.”
San Miguel is sixth in the league when it comes to the boards, collecting 52.2 rebounds per game.
Despite the slight dip in his numbers, Fajardo’s presence is still felt in the team, even if he fought through a stiff neck on Friday.
The Cebuano behemoth finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in the win, which helped the Beermen grab a top two seat going to the playoffs.
Still, Fajardo said that work is just getting started as San Miguel braces for tougher competition in the quarterfinals.
“We need to prepare ourselves because we’re facing stronger teams,” he said. “Intensity is bound to get a notch higher in the playoffs, so we have to program ourselves to be prepared.”