MANILA, Philippines – More than making up for lost time, Christian Standhardinger had an extra motivation in his PBA return. 

The Filipino-German’s grandparents Pablo Boy and Lolita Hermoso, who are based in Los Angeles, were in town to watch their grandchild play in the PBA live for the first time. 

And Standhardinger did not disappoint before his loved ones as he tallied 23 points and 7 rebounds to help San Miguel cruise to a 114-96 romp of Alaska in the 2019 Philippine Cup on Sunday, March 24. 

It had been a relatively quiet night for Standhardinger after scoring 9 points through the first 3 quarters before he erupted for 14 big points in the final frame to power the Beermen’s pullaway. 

“I tried to play with extra motivation of course just to make them proud,” said Standhardinger, who fondly calls his grandparents Opa and Oma. 

Standhardinger missed 5 straight games due to a knee injury, and his comeback could not have come at a better time as San Miguel enters a crucial stretch in its bid for a fifth consecutive All-Filipino championship. 

“I feel better now. I’m recovered. It took so much time to really get it fixed out. I played 16 months,” said Standhardinger, who also played for Gilas Pilipinas in the World Cup qualifiers in between PBA conferences. 

“It was very tough, like one of my muscles stopped working. So I’m happy that nothing more serious came, but it took so long to make it work again, to build muscle, to load, but I’m happy I’m back now.” 

To ensure that he would be in tip-top shape when he steps on the PBA hardcourt again, Standhardinger focused on shedding some pounds. 

“I lost weight. I was so scared that I come back with overweight,” he said. “[I lost] like maybe 10 pounds, 12 pounds.”

San Miguel, which finished the elimination round with a 7-4 record to secure a top 5 finish, takes a break before the playoffs kicks off in the first week of April.

Standhardinger plans to use this welcome layoff to regain his finest form.  

“I need like maybe 3 more games, two more games to really get back in the shape I was before the injury and I hope I can do that as quick as possible to help the team.” – Rappler.com