San Miguel Beermen franchise cornerstone June Mar Fajardo isn’t tolerating any Leo Austria slander—that’s for sure. In fact, in the aftermath of the Beermen winning another PBA Philippine Cup title on Sunday, Fajardo let it be known exactly what he thinks of the coach who has helped guide San Miguel to so many championships over the past 12 or so years.
“Ako na magsasabi sa inyo, magaling si coach. Siya ‘yung dahilan kung bakit laging nananalo ng championship ang San Miguel,” said Fajardo after San Miguel beat the TNT Tropang 5G in Game 6 at the Mall of Asia Arena to clinch back-to-back All-Filipino titles.
Leo Austria Is a Players’ Coach—and He’s HIM
Fajardo’s glowing praise of Austria is a clear and loud rebuke of pundits who claim the soft-spoken tactician is only lucky because he has the PBA’s most dominant player ever leading the way. The Kraken then doubled down on his initial point and gave Austria his well-deserved flowers—along with a brief explanation of why he is so good as a coach.
“Magaling talaga si coach Leo. Isa siya sa pinakamagaling na coaches sa PBA,” Fajardo reiterated. “Hindi lang siya nabibigyan ng masyadong credit. Sobrang humble niya. Pinapabayaan niya ‘yung mga players na maglaro. Nailalabas ng mga players ‘yung laro nila.”
Indeed, Fajardo blossomed under Austria’s leadership, even as other players—from Alex Cabagnot to Arwind Santos to Chris Ross and Marcio Lassiter—got their own time to shine. In the recently concluded PBA Philippine Cup Finals alone, the Beermen’s role players had their turn in the spotlight, with Mo Tautaa playing a starring role, Rodney Brondial excelling next to Fajardo, and Kris Rosales logging crucial minutes in Game 6.
Leo Austria Is in a Class with the Greats
After piloting San Miguel to another championship, Leo Austria now has 11 titles to his name—including eight of the All-Filipino variety. All-time, the 67-year-old coach is tied with Chot Reyes and Norman Black as the third-winningest coach in PBA history, trailing only Tim Cone (25 titles) and Baby Dalupan (15).
Austria, however, stands alone among these greats as the coach with the most Philippine Cup titles, which is saying a lot since the All-Filipino conference is generally considered the most prestigious.
And after besting Reyes again, it’s probably time to give Leo Austria the credit he deserves.
