For Austria, canceled PBA season means getting JMF back for title defense

The extended break in the PBA allows San Miguel Beer star June Mar Fajardo to recuperate without missing games, but coach Leo Austria insists his team remains capable of extending its reign in the Philippine Cup when the season resumes.

Talking to the Inquirer a day after he was named coach of the year (COY) by the PBA Press Corps for the fourth time, Austria said his team’s winning mentality remains an understated ingredient to the Beermen’s success.

And as the possibility of the season being canceled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic looms, Austria feels the Beermen could miss out on an opportunity to prove that they are more than just Fajardo’s team.

“It’s sad if the season gets canceled, especially for the players and the fans,” Austria, who has steered the Beermen to eight championships since taking over in 2014, told the Inquirer.

“Right now, we know that health is the priority of everyone.”

And as much as it benefits Fajardo in his recovery, Austria said the six-time most valuable player (MVP) would be the first to express his disappointment should the season get canceled.

Capable of winning

“Even if there’s a possibility that the season gets canceled and we’ll have him for the All-Filipino next season, I’m pretty sure he’s not happy with what’s happening right now even though he’s not missing games,” Austria said.

“Of course, with or without him, we are capable of winning. This is more than just June Mar’s team. It’s just different when we have June Mar because he is a talented and smart player.”

The Beermen also missed Marcio Lassiter due to an injury in the Commissioner’s Cup last season, but Austria noted his players collectively filled the void left by the ace gunner on their way to a second championship last season.

Grand Slam thwarted

But San Miguel was denied a Grand Slam when it was bundled out by Barangay Ginebra in the Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.

Austria said he had huge expectations for the Beermen this season since they seemed to have recovered “mentally and physically” with the exception of Fajardo.

“Our season ended November last year so we had plenty of time to rest,” said Austria, who moved up to second in the all-time list of the award named after the late Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan. Chot Reyes still holds the record with five COY awards.

“I was really looking forward to the season,” Austria said. “What we’ve done in the last five years was impressive and at the same time very difficult and tiring, but I feel the players have stayed hungry going into the season.”

Victorious

The Beermen actually opened their bid for a sixth straight All-Filipino crown with a 94-78 win over last season’s losing finalist, the Star Hotshots, in the first and only game played for the season on March 9. “We actually did well without June Mar, so our priority now is to regain the sharpness we lost because of the quarantine if and when the season resumes,” Austria said.

Fajardo, the league’s reigning six-time MVP, was ruled out for the season due to a broken leg, and experts pointed this as a reason the Beermen were vulnerable in their championship-retention quest.

But with commissioner Willie Marcial raising the specter of scrubbing the season, that means San Miguel gets to defend its Philippine Cup title with Fajardo back in tow. INQ