By ANGELO CAPARAS, Intern
San Miguel head coach Leo Austria never imagined that he would return as the Beermen’s top tactician this soon, more so, steering his team back to the Philippine Cup summit.
Taking over the coaching reins from former head coach Jorge Gallent, Austria’s return did not begin smoothly after they failed to advance to the playoffs of the last conference although the pieces eventually fell to its place.
“Hindi ko nga akalain na makakabalik agad ako eh. Although before I reinstated as a head coach, ibinalik na ako sa team just to overlook what’s really happening,” said Austria, who served as the team’s consultant when SMB lost last season’s Philippine Cup Finals against Meralco.
According to Austria, by not being at the helm and not absorbing the brunt of the pressure from being the head coach of the proud franchise, he was able to see and understand the game from a different perspective.
“I’m so fortunate those times na hindi ako involved sa team, those times ay World Cup season eh. I was able to watch most of the game. Everyday nasa MOA at Araneta ako to figure out what’s really happening in basketball internationally.”
“I picked up a lot of things. That’s the reason why—if you notice our defense is different from the past. In-apply ko ‘yun sa team namin and then I keep on watching the games, semifinals,” he added.
The 67-year-old veteran coach made tweaks to his system and the players had to adjust to his return. They even had to go through the basics all over again.
“I was able to define the roles. If you notice there’s no point guard na magkakasabay sa loob. ‘Yung mga wingman almost the same positions sila,” he added.
“Some of the players hindi ko na nagamit dahil crowded ‘yun e. But because of defining the roles—alam nila e. As long as the team is winning, there’s no problem with them.”
“If there’s an opportunity for them to play, ibinibigay nila yung quality minutes e. That’s one thing—why we’re here in the championship and winning this All-Filipino championship,” he added.
Austria also appreciated the team’s willingness to adapt, noting that most of the players had to learn his system from scratch.
“Its a lot of hard work for this team because they are new to my system. I’m happy for them—binili nila ‘yung sistema ko,” he added.
