Beermen bound for glory anew
Call it rebirth. Resurgence. Renaissance.
Or a renewal of faith. For that’s how firm believers of the San Miguel Beermen felt following their magnificent run that led to a fourgame sweep of the Alaska Aces for the PBA Governors Cup crown.
They are convinced that Junemar Fajardo and the other Beermen have a potent mix of talent and youth that could approximate the legendary Beermen of the late 80s and at the start of the new millennium.
They feel the group of Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Ronald Tubid and Gabby Espinas could form a solid force that could lead to the “Third Coming” of an all conquering San Miguel force.
“The glory days of San Miguel are back,” said San Miguel governor Robert Non in the din of their celebration Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Among the longest serving team officials in the PBA, Non was a witness to SMB’s greatest feats in the past, from its first big haul of championships highlighted by a grand slam in 1989 with a team built around future Hall of Famers Ramon Fernandez, Ricky Brown, Hector Calma and Samboy Lim.
He also saw San Miguel’s “Second Coming” with the group led by Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle and Olsen Racela.
Fajardo and his teammates, under first-year coach Leo Austria, have also turned out a special batch with a double-championship in the just-concluded PBA Season 40 – a first for the franchise in 14 years.
The Cebuano behemoth, in his third year as a pro, imposed his huge presence and proved to be a major factor in their dominant season.
“He’s only 25. He’ll get better and will be a more dominant player in years to come. He’ll win more awards and win more championships. Sky is the limit for the guy,” said Austria of their prized center, now a two-time MVP winner.
“We’ll still work hard to improve. What I want is that we’re ready for anything thrown at us by our opponents,” Austria said.
Having dealt away their 2015 draft pick in a past trade transaction, Austria said they’re likely returning next season with the same lineup.
“We’ll only have changes if there’s a trade offer that we believe can improve our lineup. Otherwise, we’ll be intact,” said Austria, hopeful of a title repeat in the Philippine Cup.
“There will be no more imports, and Fajardo will be tougher to handle for the opposition underneath the basket. We’ll be tougher if Marcio Lassiter improves even more,” Austria pointed.
Austria predicts Commissioner’s Cup titlist Talk n Text, Alaska and Rain or Shine to still figure prominently in the finals race. He also foresees improvement by Barangay Ginebra.
“Mahihinog na ang mga batang players ng Ginebra. The Ginebra players could mature soon,” he said.
As for the core group of Fajardo, Santos, Lassiter, Lutz and Cabagnot, they won their first title in their third year together at SMB.
“We defined their roles. Not everyone can play extended minutes. Some players have to give. Some have to be just backup players,” said Austria.
Santos, who had his time as SMB’s lead guy even winning an MVP award once in 2013, has accepted his role backstopping Fajardo.
“One can’t be on top always. I’m ready to play whatever role that can be of help to the goal of the team,” said Santos.
Fajardo, Santos, Lassiter, Lutz, Cabagnot and Ross made up Austria’s core that became the league’s biggest toast this year.