MANILA — Leo Austria arrived in the city Friday to begin his role as coach of the North All-Stars for the upcoming PBA All-Star Game.
For the first time, Austria will find himself coaching against his longtime star player, June Mar Fajardo, who will lead the South squad in Sunday’s showcase.
“If it’s a tournament, I know how to stop him,” Austria joked, laughing about the challenge of facing the dominant center, who has been one of the most unstoppable players in the Philippine Basketball Association for over a decade.
The All-Star Game will serve as a lighthearted break before the league resumes competition with the PBA Commissioner’s Cup later this month. Austria said his main concern during the exhibition will simply be distributing playing time among the All-Stars.
Looking ahead to the upcoming conference, Austria acknowledged that many teams have improved through recent trades and acquisitions, making San Miguel Beer’s title defense more challenging. “I’m a little bit worried because a lot of teams are getting better,” he said.
Fajardo continues to dominate the league, highlighted by his 29-point, 23-rebound performance in San Miguel’s title-clinching Game 6 win over TNT Tropang 5G in the Philippine Cup finals. The effort earned him the PBA Press Corps Finals MVP and the inaugural Ramon Fernandez Trophy.
To counter Fajardo’s presence in the paint, TNT has signed towering import Bol Bol, while several teams have also brought in taller imports with no height restriction in place.
Meanwhile, San Miguel has added 6-foot-11 reinforcement Marcus Lee to bolster its interior defense. Austria described Lee as a strong defensive presence who could help support Fajardo in the paint.
Still, for Sunday’s All-Star festivities, Austria will briefly treat Fajardo as an opponent—something he joked has only happened before when the two played video games together. “It’s our first time as opponents,” he quipped, “except when playing DOTA.”
