No. 1 pick Standhardinger’s monster game further fuels SMB debut hype

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BANGKOK—San Miguel Beer has been labeled a powerhouse squad in the Philippine Basketball Association, even without its prized top draft pick.

Imagine how much fearsome the Beermen will be once Christian Standhardinger joins the squad.

The 6-foot-7 big man unloaded 40 points on top of 17 rebounds, five steals, and three assists as he steered his team, Hong Kong Eastern Sports Club, past Mono Vampire, 112-105, Friday at Stadium 29 here.

Standhardinger led Hong Kong to a 3-0 start and had fans abuzz all over social media as to how well he would pair with reigning four-time MVP June Mar Fajardo.

And even more impressive was the fact that Standhardinger brushed off his Herculean effort, choosing instead to nitpick on his miscues.

“Actually, today was not a good day. I had three easy layups that I missed so I apologized to my teammates because I messed up their assists,” said Standhardinger. “But above everything else, the victory is the most important thing so it worked out.”

PBA teams have started wracking their brains trying to find ways to deal with the Beermen.

“It’s a bigger challenge for every team,” said new Phoenix coach Louie Alas. “Before, you just have to prepare for June Mar in the paint. Now there is Standhardinger in weakside. Other teams have to try lots of schemes this time. Plus, plus, plus, if you stop these two giants, Santos, Cabagnot, Lassiter and Ross will kill you.”

“To beat them, you need almost a perfect defensive plan and execution.”

Standhardinger hasn’t given much thought yet about joining the Beermen, saying he is keeping his focus in helping his club win the ABL title.

And since Alab Pilipinas is one of the clubs that stand in the way of that goal, he is aware that fans will be against him—at least for now.

“The thing is, if I face the Philippine team again and they boo me again, that’s fine,” Standhardinger said. “I will love the Filipino fans regardless and actually it makes me a lot better. I play the best when the whole crowd is against me, when the game is on the line, when everybody wants me to fail.

“If some fans want to boo me and have fun by it, do it; that’s also helping me,” added Standhardinger. “There’s nothing other than love for the Filipino fans and their passion and their puso for basketball.”