KEEPING THE FAITH
The Beermen have lost two games in the bubble and are now down two stars. But Leo Austria believes he can coax a title contender out of his squad
This was supposed to be an opportunity for Terrence Romeo to shine. San Miguel Beer (SMB) was already facing a tough title defense in the PBA Philippine Cup, a tournament the Beermen have won five straight times, because of the absence of June Mar Fajardo. The Cebuano big man, who has won the MVP trophy the last six years, is still recuperating from a surgery that reassembled a broken leg.
Still, the Beermen had hope: Perhaps Romeo, a vaunted scoring machine acquired from TNT in 2018, could fill in some of the 21-plus points the Beermen left outside the bubble when they decided to delist Fajardo in caution’s name. Maybe the remaining bigs, led by Mo Tautuaa can make up for the 14.5 rebounds per game Fajardo collared in last year’s all-filipino.
None of that has happened so far in two games inside Clark Freeport’s restricted environment.
In Romeo’s case, it’s out of the question
No need to push the panic button just yet. What we need to do is focus for us to be able to find those right ways to regain our [competitiveness]
LEO AUSTRIA San Miguel Beer coach
Out for the season
The explosive guard will need at least two months to heal a dislocated shoulder he suffered in a 107-88 loss to TNT on late Friday night.
“Unfortunately, Terrence will need eight to 10 weeks to heal,” SMB’S team manager Gee Abanilla told the Inquirer.
You’d expect coach Leo Austria to worry that the guardrails are coming off his team’s spiral. The Beermen are 1-2 thus far in the tournament, their only will coming in March during the tournament opener, before the coronavirus shuttered the league and, seven months later, forced it to set up camp inside a secure bubble.
But with his grip loosening on the league’s most prestigious trophy, Austria is holding tightly to optimism.
“No need to push the panic button just yet,” he told the Inquirer. “What we need to do is focus for us to be able to find those right ways to regain our [competitiveness].”
Austria certainly has a team to compete. On Saturday, the team held its first practice after Romeo was shuttled out of the bubble for further evaluation and rehabilitation. And one look at the guys on the floor reveals a squad that hasn’t exactly dried up its talent pool: Shooter Marcio Lassiter, defensive whiz Chris Ross, veteran Arwind Santos, playmaker Alex Cabagnot, three-point specialist Von Pessumal and Tautuaa form a reliable core backed by some unused gems that have already gone through basketball’s toughest test: Paul Zamar, for instance, has torched nets in Thailand when he served as an import for a top franchise there in the Asean Basketball league.
“My game has always been there,” said Zamar, a high-iq playmaker with a sweet shot from beyond the arc. “It’s just been hard for me as a guard to crack the rotation. You just have to be ready. It’s may job to keep myself ready.”
What teams that have circled around San Miguel like sharks have really gained in Fajardo’s absence is confidence. The Beermen don’t look as intimidating without the dominant big man inside.
“The space that June Mar takes up is huge,” TNT coach Bong Ravena told the Inquirer after his wards manhandled the Beermen. Worth noting: The third player to set a career-high for TNT inside the bubble was Poy Erram against San Miguel Beer. The 6-foot-8 center finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds in his third outing with a team that traded for him in the offseason presumably so they could match up against Fajardo.
Vulnerable
“Every team that wants to beat San Miguel prepares for June Mar,” Ravena added. “Also, everything San Miguel does starts with June Mar. Shooters have it easier when he is there.”
“So right now, they’re still a tough team and you really have to respect them. They’re a champion team and we all know what they’ re made of. But they’re easier to play with June Mar not there.”
And with Romeo gone, the Beermen are even more vulnerable. Don’t tell that to Austria and the team though. Saturday’s practice showed little indication that the Beermen are about to roll over.
“We have to figure things out and find ways to get back [our] rhythm,” Austria said.
“These [next] two days, we have to concentrate on our match against Terrafirma because that team seems tough to beat. Everybody prepared for this tournament, especially the young guys.
Trouble in the bubble? Not yet. As far as Austria is concerned, there’s still reason to fear the beer. INQ