Fajardo focused on winning PBA title

MANILA, Philippines - After a 10-day rest, top seed San Miguel Beer returns to action in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against the winner of last night’s knockout duel between Talk ‘N’ Text and Barangay Ginebra at the Mall of Asia Arena on Friday with the league’s leading scorer JuneMar Fajardo focused on winning the championship, nothing else.

Fajardo, 25, tops the league in scoring (18.6 points), field goal percentage (57.7%), offensive rebounds (4.8) and blocked shots (2.3) but couldn’t care less about individual honors. He’s the reigning PBA MVP yet San Miguel Beer failed to make it to the finals in three conferences last season.

“I do what’s best for the team,” said the 6-10 former University of Cebu star during a mock press conference at the recent Inkblots National Campus Journalism Fellowship in UST. “I want everyone on our team to be happy, not just me. I’d rather get a championship than any individual award so everybody gets a bonus, including our ball boys. It’s not about me. It’s about the whole team. If my teammates don’t pass to me, then I don’t get to do what I’m supposed to.”

Fajardo said his model of an efficient center is Memphis Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol. “He’s simple, he knows the fundamentals,” said Fajardo. “In basketball, it’s not just height. You can be small and play a big role. It’s important to be self-confident, dapat boo ang loob. For a team to succeed, there must be chemistry. You have to trust in your teammates and of course, yourself.”

Fajardo said if he didn’t pursue a basketball career, he would’ve become a construction worker. “When I was a boy, I wasn’t really interested in basketball,” he said. “My parents wanted me to get a good education so they thought of basketball as a way for me to earn a scholarship in college. I started to grow so it was natural for me to play basketball. I wanted to keep learning, keep improving. The key is never be satisfied. I persisted, I was patient. When I’m finished playing basketball, I’d like to go back to the province and live a quiet life, maybe, do farming and continue to help my family.”

Asked the secret of his strong faith, Fajardo said it’s putting God in the center of his life. “God is the reason for everything,” he said. “I put Him in the center of my life and of course, my family. Never forget the people who helped you. Even if you don’t see them often, make it a point to thank them when you can so they know you remember what they did for you.” As the PBA’s MVP, Fajardo remains humble and loyal.

“I hope to end my career with San Miguel,” said Fajardo. “I’ll never leave San Miguel. Ever since, San Miguel has been my favorite team and the favorite team of my family. In the PBA, one of my toughest matchups is Beau (Belga) who’s physical and strong. There are players who try to play me physical to get me out of my game. I know what they’re trying to do so I just focus on my game and not let them affect me. What I need to improve on is my perimeter shooting. I realize that in international competitions, I just can’t post up and expect to dominate. Players are bigger than me so I have to work on extending my range and doing things to gain an advantage. I know I have to be quicker, that means running more and trying to keep pace.”

Fajardo said his advice to aspiring pros is to listen to their elders. “Don’t be content to be just an average player,” he said. “You must want to learn, to work hard. Be open-minded, listen to advice, improve, absorb, apply and learn from experience.”

San Miguel coach Leo Austria said his goal is to make Fajardo a complete package. “JuneMar is a very shy guy,” said Austria. “He told me once he gets more nervous when he’s being interviewed by media than playing in a game. I want him to be more familiar with media, to be comfortable in answering questions from reporters. I think he’ll be a household name as a basketball star for years so he has to be ready to deal with being popular.”

The San Miguel franchise hasn’t captured a PBA title since coach Ato Agustin led Petron to the 2010-11 Governors Cup. So it’s been nine conferences and three seasons since the team has endured a championship drought. Topping the Philippine Cup eliminations was a positive step that Austria, who steered San Miguel to the ABL crown two seasons back, said he hopes to parlay into a title to end the Beermen’s long wait for a 20th crown.