Christian Standhardinger. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson/ INQUIRER.net
TAIPEI – With Andray Blatche uncertain to play for Gilas Pilipinas as its naturalized player in the Fiba Asia Championship late next month, Christian Standhandinger, though with Filipino roots, is on stand by.
And on Sunday night, just after declaring that he would “do better” in just his second official game wearing the Philippine tri-colors, the 6-foot-7 banger showed why he is a worthy candidate.
Standhardinger was all grit and hustle and manned the paint with unmatched intensity for the Filipinos against Chinese Taipei A, finishing with 17 points and 15 rebounds in just 25 minutes in an impressive 88-72 win.
READ: Standhardinger certainly a big boost to Gilas cause
Those were Blatche-like numbers that came, unknown to many, a night after he and coach Chot Reyes had a shouting match on the court during the fourth quarter of a losing stand against Canada 150.
“He’s an option for the Fiba,” Reyes said. “Because we are not sure about Andray.”
And it seems that Standhardinger is having a blast doing this.
“I love playing with these (Gilas) guys, they play with a lot of heart and a lot of fighting spirit. Puso!” Standhandinger said. “Every time we play together it seems like we’re getting better.”
READ: Gilas rebounds mightily with ripping of Taipei
Standhardinger is not eligible to play as a Filipino in Fiba events because he failed to declare eligibility – by acquiring a Philippine passport – before he turned 16 years old.
“The things you don’t see in his numbers is how tough he is and how tough he works,” Reyes said. “And the good thing is that the perimeter players know Christian has their back and they can be aggressive offensively.”
Reyes dismissed the shouting incident as part of player-coach relationship, which, he feels, actually helped.
“We had a nice little shouting match yesterday and today he came out and played hard,” Reyes said. “That’s the kind of culture we’re building here. The important thing is what you bring to the floor.”