San Miguel head coach Leo Austria. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — An immovable force, June Mar Fajardo has been the biggest reason for San Miguel Beer’s domination in the Philippine Cup.
The Beermen have won the last five all-Filipino conferences with the 6-foot-10 Fajardo as their pillar.
But with Fajardo out of the Philippine Cup due to a fractured right tibia, the rest of the Beermen believe it’s only right to return the favor.
“At first, the morale of the team was low but it picked up after a few hours. They’re inspired and said, ‘let’s do this for June Mar.’ He helped us a lot in winning the (previous) championship,” said SMB head coach Leo Austria in Filipino in a story on the PBA website.
“In the last two practices (without Fajardo), the players responded.”
With the reigning five-time MVP sidelined indefinitely, San Miguel will have to figure out ways on how to fill a huge void on both ends of the floor.
Fajardo averaged 18.7 points, 13 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season.
“It’s really hard for us because in the past five years, we all know that June Mar is our cornerstone. He helped us a lot in winning championships,”Austria said. “But like I told the team, San Miguel is not June Mar and everybody must step up.”
Fortunately for the Beermen, they remain one of the deepest teams in the league even in Fajardo’s absence with a slew of veteran stars in Arwind Santos, Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Terrence Romeo and Moala Tautuaa, whom Austria singled out.
“I think Tautuaa is one big man who can fill the role but we all know just how big of a role June Mar plays and Mo needs the help and support of the team,” said Austria, whose other big men are seldom-used centers Billy Mamaril and Russel Escoto.
“Mo has started to step up. His response has been good and he’s trying his best to help the team. And the good thing is everybody is willing to help. June Mar is June Mar, nobody can really fill in his position, so it will take a collective effort,” he added.
With Fajardo expected to be out for quite some time as he begins rehabilitation after going under the knife on Tuesday, Austria is in search of another big man to address his team’s issue upfront.
“Right now, we’re trying to figure it out and look for someone who can be our backup,” he said.
San Miguel Beer begins its title defense against Magnolia at the start of the 45th PBA Season on March 1 at Araneta Coliseum.