CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Chris Ross sees a lot of himself in his new San Miguel Beer teammate Christian Standhardinger.
Ross, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, said that like him, Standhardinger also brings toughness to the Beermen.
“He reminds me of me, as a big this time,” Ross said of the rugged Fil-German.
“Right now, I bring that hard-nosed mentality to the team, and bringing someone like him really helps us big time. Him being at 6-9 who is agile and versatile, it’s a great niche he found for himself.”
Ross watched San Miguel’s top pick on Sunday when he made his Philippine debut for the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions in the ABL and he had nothing but praise.
“He knows where to be. Offensively, he’s always at the right spot and that tells me he has a high basketball IQ,” he said.
“He’s talking to his teammates and getting his teammates involved. He doesn’t demand the ball. I like what I see from him on the floor.”
The 28-year-old Standhardinger had 26 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He also made two crucial buckets in the final 20 seconds to hold off Tanduay Alab Pilipinas.
Ross also lauded Standhardinger for holding his ground against Alab import Ivan Johnson.
“Ivan was trying to intimidate him, but he’s not backing down. We need a guy like that who’s willing do the dirty work. We need that extra muscle we could throw at the other imports once he plays in the Commissioner’s Cup,” he said.
Ross shared that he can’t wait to see Standhardinger in a Beermen jersey.
“When you get a guy like that, its always a positive,” he said.
“It’s a plus that he has a long hair. He could join our long hair club,” Ross ended with a chuckle.