Standhardinger cleared to play on Friday
BARANGAY Ginebra fans can now heave a sigh of relief. Filipino German Christian Standhardinger is expected to be back in action on Friday, November 18, when Barangay Ginebra resumes its playoffs bid against Blackwater following a 12-day respite.
The 6-foot-9 Standhardinger missed Ginebra’s narrow 97-96 win over sister team San Miguel Beer on November 6 after complaining of pain in his knee. He watched the game in street clothes as the Gin Kings overcame a 19-point digit and leaned on Scottie Thompson’s gamewinning triple in the dying seconds to steal the game from the Beermen.
Ginebra’s veteran physiotherapist Aspi Calagopi said Standhardinger visited a renowned Filipino orthopedic surgeon a week ago to have his knee checked.
“CStan just had patello femoral pain (PFPS). He is okay, nothing serious. He is currently practicing with the team,” Calagopi told The Manila Times.
His knee condition, though, does not require immediate surgery.
The PFPS is described as a pain at the front of a person’s knee, around the kneecap or patella. Doctors sometimes call it “runner’s knee.”
Calagopi explained that PFPS can be developed over time due to the extensive use of the knee.
However, therapy could address the knee pain.
“He just needed some therapy and strengthening. [He’s] good to go [for Friday],” Calagopi added.
Since Standhardinger’s collegiate stints with Nebraska and later, University of Hawaii at Manoa, the hard-banging big man has seen action in the German pro league before suiting up for Hong Kong Eastern in the Asean Basketball League in the 2017-2018 season.
He was eventually selected the first overall pick in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft and won two league championships with the Beermen in the 2019 season. He was traded and saw action for about a season at NorthPort (2020). In March 2021, Standhardinger was traded to Ginebra in
exchange for Greg Slaughter.
In between his pro career, he also suited up several times for Gilas Pilipinas, winning two Southeast Asian men’s basketball gold medals in 2017 and 2019.
Meanwhile, Jeron Teng of Converge
was named Cignal Play-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period November 9 to 13.
Teng averaged 22.5 points on a 55-percent shooting clip, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the past week for the FiberXers, who claimed a quarterfinals seat after scoring their eighth win in 10 games against Rain or Shine last Sunday.
It was the second straight PBAPC citation for a Converge player after Aljun Melecio won the honor last week.