Leo Austria believes San Miguel is not a powerhouse team
New San Miguel Head Coach Leo Austria wants to make one thing clear: today’s San Miguel Beer squad is not like the super-stacked San Miguel Beer squads of the past. What? How could that be? Austria has PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo. Austria also has former MVP Arwind Santos. But what Austria also has is mounting expectation passed from one coaching regime to the next. It’s his turn now to try and meet championship demands. He says the key is knowledge. Arwind knows Arwind can’t do it alone. June Mar knows June Mar can’t do it alone. Austria knows it better than anyone that Austria can’t do it alone.
MH: What is the most challenging aspect of coaching San Miguel Beer in the PBA?
LA: Well kailangan ma-meet yung expectations ng lahat, ng mga fans, management and mga taga-company ng San Miguel. They’re thinking that the team can win a championship. Before they thought the team was a powerhouse team. Before talagang totoo yun but that was before. Nandoon pa sila (Danny) Seigle, sila (Dondon) Hontiveros, and yung mga star player noon. But now it’s a different line-up. It’s only June Mar (Fajardo) and Arwind Santos na talagang ma-no-notice mo agad. Before andoon si (Alex) Cabagnot tapos dumating si (Marcio) Lassiter at si (Chris) Lutz.
Pero ngayon iba na. Hindi katulad ng Ginebra. Mayroon sila apat o lima na big man tapos mayroon pa silang (Mark) Caguioa. That’s why hindi ako naniniwala sa sinasabi nilang powerhouse kami. Pero alam ko may materials kami na pwedeng manalo talaga. May potential talaga kami especially with June Mar (Fajardo) kung maglalaro lang sila as a team both on offense and on defense. Siguro kung mapapag-isa ko sila, if they believe in my system, lahat naman kami gusto namin manalo, I think ma-a-achieve namin yung i-ne-expect ng marami sa amin.
MH: Are you willing to give your own observation as to why powerhouse San Miguel teams before weren’t winning championships?
LA: Not only in the PBA and San Miguel but any team that wants to win a championship needs somebody na mag-ga-guide sa kanila, na maglalaro sila na parang hindi mga star player. Pagkapumasok sa ulo ng player na siya’y superstar, hindi niya ibibigay yung hundred percent. In order for you to take advantage of your talent, you have to work hard. Lalabas ngayon yung advantage mo against less talented players.
It’s also about chemistry. Hindi pwede puro superstar. Hindi pwede lahat shumu-shoot. You need role players talaga, somebody willing to sacrifice para sa team nila. Imagine yung time nila Alvin Teng, Art Dela Cruz and Freddie Abuda, nag-sa-sacrifice sila. Hindi sila superstar pero may mga role sila and they kept on winning the championship.
Pero kung lahat scorer, hindi pwede mangyari yun. Players will want to prove themselves by scoring lahat. Hindi puwedeng ganoon. Lalo na kung expiring ang contract, gusto nila umi-score kasi feeling nila ang titingnan is stats nila. Dapat ipaalam din sa kanila na pwede ka magtagal sa PBA by winning a championship. Look at what happens to teams pag nananalo sila. Hindi binabago mga line-up nila. Dahil ang hinahanap ng coach ay yung chemistry ng team.
Look at San Mig Coffee or Purefoods now. Sino mag-aakalang magtatagal ng ganito kahaba si Jerwin Gaco? That’s because somebody is willing to be the glue guy. Malaking bagay yun sa team and especially sa coach dahil alam niya kahit anong ipapagawa niya, gagawin ng player. Lahat kasi tanggap nila roles nila kaya yung chemistry nila ay napakaganda. Hindi na nila tinitingnan kung may superstars sa team. They believe in the system. It’s the system that makes them a champion team.
MH: How is the chemistry of your team heading into your first game of the season?
LA: So far, okay naman sila. But we’ve only been together for two months. We’re also running a new system. It takes time to embrace my system but as far as performance is concerned, eh talagang malaki pagbabago ng team especially sa defense. Naging problema ko lang dito ay yung health ng players. Hindi kami nagsama-sama ng mahaba tulad si June Mar, two weeks pa lang siya nag-pa-practice with the team. And then Arwind was sidelined for two weeks. So last Saturday lang talaga kami nakumpleto na buong-buo yung team namin. But I think we will keep on improving.
MH: Nakapagusap na ba kayo ni Arwind regarding how you’ll relate to each other as coach and player in the Philippine Cup?
LA: Alam naman niya kung ano mayroon ang team at alam ko rin kung ano mayroon yung team. Before there were a lot of criticism kay Arwind. So ngayon, ginawa ko siyang Team Captain. That’s a strong signal na I have confidence in him. Kilala naman niya ako. I’m low-profile. I think that’s what he wants. Alam naman niya makakatulong ako. Hindi ko naman sila binobola. Through my actions, through hard work sa practice, alam nila na mayroon akong maitutulong sa kanila. For him to understand me, I have to understand him first. Na-fee-feel niya yun, na naiintindihan ko siya. That’s why maganda relationship ng mga players and coach ngayon.
MH: What about June Mar? Nagkaroon na ba kayo ng magandang kuwentuhan ni June Mar about your expectations from June Mar?
LA: Walang problema kay June Mar kasi nandoon yung passion to play hard, to show people na he can win another MVP award. But, first and foremost, ang iniisip niya is how to win a championship. Napakaganda ng attitude niya. And hindi niya alam na ganoon siya ka-superstar. Very low-profile siya. Walang ka-proble-problema. Bigyan mo ng role gagawin niya. Bigyan mo ng big role as a main player, gagawin niya. Siya yung kind of player na hinahanap lagi ng coach. I think magtatagal siya sa kanyang status as a very important player not only sa team namin but to the league. Sana huwag na kami magkaroon ng pag-uusap about problems (laughs) and sana ang lagi na lang namin pag-uusapan is how to improve his skills even more. Alam naman ni June Mar na hindi ka mananalo nang nag-iisa.
