MANILA – Christian Standhardinger will make his much-anticipated PBA debut when San Miguel Beermen open its title-retention bid in the 2018 PBA Commissioner’s Cup against Meralco Bolts tonight at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Standhardinger, who failed to suit up for the Philippine Cup as he joined the ASEAN Basketball League, said he does not feel pressured, owing to his wide experience playing overseas.
“I’m not a rookie. You can’t call a 28-year-old who’s played five years professional basketball in Europe and Hong Kong a rookie. That doesn’t make sense,” said the Filipino-German center.
“I’m very surprised and happy with how the San Miguel group welcomed me. It was very professional, very caring, very family-like, and I really appreciate that. I’m excited to play for this company, hopefully for the long time,” he added.
The 6-foot-9 also said he appreciates Beermen’s winning culture.
“I’m in a very nice position that, for the first time in my career, I can really just focus on winning. I don’t have to focus on anything else,” Standhardinger said. “I can look at how I can make this team better. Here, all that matters is winning.”
He added: “They have a great team already with great players, so what I’m doing is I look at where I can help a little bit. There’s no pressure for me to do a big impact, but rather just help in any way I can and hope that we win a lot of championships.”/PN
