From the ABL to the PBA for Leo Austria

Will Austria have the reigning
PBA MVP's support?
How about the other MVP?
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

It pays to be loyal.

Formerly “disgruntled” ASEAN Basketball League San Miguel Beermen champion coach Leo Austria has recently been rewarded for his patience and trust with the franchise, being signed to a one-year pact to coach the “original, iconic” team of the same name in the Philippine Basketball Association.

If he’ll be able to finish the aforementioned contract is another story altogether.

See, the Beermen (formerly Petron Blaze Boosters) has run through a gauntlet of coaches since 2010: from Ato Agustin, Olsen Racela (with Rajko Toroman as active consultant), Gee Abanilla and the now axed Biboy Ravanes (with Todd Purves as active consultant). For all the on court drama of the so called “Petronovela,” there’s really not much you can expect from a team that has no continuity from the sidelines.

One conference they’re playing small ball, next they try to play like a souped up version of Gilas I (which worked for a time), next they simply abandoned the playbook and went exclusively to now reigning PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo and next, well, we’ll see next season.

With Austria, who has had forgettable stints in the PBA with Shell and Welcoat, we could only hope for the best. To his credit though, he’s come a long way in sharpening his Xs and Os: winning in the ABL with Chris Banchero and ABL MVPs Leo Avenido (funny how no one’s ever mentioned it since) and Asi Taulava while also making a legit, UAAP Final Four contender out of the once lowly Adamson Falcons for three to four straight years.

From what we’ve gathered, he’s a student of the game and a coach who is loved by his players (i.e. Falcons).  How that translates in trying to get through to the Beermen’s superstars, well, that’s another thing.

Two names hold the key to Austria's PBA success: PBA MVPs Fajardo and Arwind Santos.

Granted Santos did yield a chunk of his touches and overall game to allow Fajardo's growth, but there's no denying that he has a lot of clout among the Beermen. How else could you explain his teammates' obedient, nay, sheepish deference to Santos? The bulk of last season saw should be stars Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter just waiting their turn on offense and just simply going through the motions. Not even the addition of another rising star, Sol Mercado, could dislodge Santos from his lofty perch.

So that's one. Santos. Can Austria reach out to Santos enough to make the former PBA MVP comfortable on the floor while sacrificing the other facets of his game to his teammates? Say, like leave the three point shooting to his shooters, ball handling to his point guards, and such?

Then there's Fajardo.

The reigning PBA MVP has proven that he's willing to learn as much as he can in his still growing professional basketball career so Austria doesn't have to worry about on and off court clashes.

What Austria needs to address is Fajardo's lack of team basketball IQ. The biggest knock on him last season was, while he was downright dominant in the post, he'd tire himself out by the 3rd quarter because he'd rather go through 2, 3 defenders than look for the kick out pass.

Not that he's not a WILLING passer, but rather, Fajardo is not a SKILLED passer.

Rather than turning the ball over, Fajardo simply chose to go with his own instincts which is to try and beat his opponent every single time. That's where the burnout kicks in. Dominant for three quarters, tired and gassed out as hell in the end.

Which is where Santos usually comes in to play hero ball.

Hopefully, third time's the charm for Austria's PBA coaching career. Who knows, if he leads them into the PBA Philippine Cup Finals (or championship), then he might not have to worry about former ABL rival and now San Miguel team consultant Todd Purves breathing down his neck the entire season.