SAN Miguel Beer is dismissing talks of another grand slam bid and would rather concentrate on winning back-to-back championships this season following its successful defense of the Philippine Cup.
Coach Leo Austria stressed during the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Amelie Hotel-Manila on Tuesday that the team’s immediate focus is to regain the Commissioner’s Cup crown which the Beermen lost to the Barangay Ginebra Kings last year.
San Miguel Beer getting involved in another discussion for a possible grand slam surfaced anew after the team won the season-opening All-Filipino Cup last week against Magnolia in a seven-game series.
“We’re not thinking about the grand slam. What we’re thinking about is [winning] the next conference—just one game at a time,” Austria told the forum where he was joined by stalwarts Chris Ross, Marciao Lassiter and Von Pessumal, along with import Charles Rhodes.
“Everybody wants a grand slam, but we have to win another championship in the second conference,” the multi-titled coach added.
Much of the load of bagging a second straight championship rests on the broad shoulders of Rhodes, the former Best Import who steered the franchise to the Commissioner’s Cup in 2017.
Although Rhodes knows it’s going to be a tough road for the Beermen, he said he will be up to the task.
“There are much better, more skillful imports this conference. It’s just another challenge for me,” said Rhodes in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
“I feel like every game is going to be competitive,” he said. “I just want to help the team. I don’t want to think toward the finals. I know if we play hard and have a lot of love, we’ll be in the finals, and then we’ll go from there.”
After Rhodes helped San Miguel Beer win the mid-season conference two years ago, the team’s grand slam bid went full throttle in the season Governors Cup, where, unfortunately, the Beermen were ambushed in the playoffs by sister team Barangay Ginebra Kings.
“We know the consequences of thinking about the grand slam, and that means you’re pressuring yourself,” Austria said. “After winning seven championships, why would I pressure myself?”
San Miguel Beer is actually celebrating the 30th anniversary of its grand slam in 1989 behind a team composed of four-time Most Valuable Player Ramon Fernandez, Samboy Lim, Hector Calma, former MVP Ricky Brown, current team Assistant Coach Ato Agustin, among others.
The return of Rhodes gives Austria the confidence for a back-to-back championship.
“I think everyone knows that the set of imports this conference are explosive. But with Charles, we know what happened in 2017. He won the Best Import award. And I’m confident Charles will perform well with our team,” he said.
San Miguel won’t play its first game in the second conference until June 5. For now, the players are having a well-deserved break after the Philippine Cup.
“We’ll try to get as much rest as we can,” Ross said. “I’m still trying to find out if I’m going to Boracay or Baguio.”
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza