Standhardinger still standing tall, tough for Gilas

KUALA LUMPUR – Playing basketball day in, day out for almost two months now, Christian Standhardinger is still full of energy — as he’s trying to be.

He’s without rest from the start of their training for the Jones Cup last month.

“Well, obviously I feel tired but as an athlete you learn how to play through that tiredness. So I feel good as I need to feel to play the game and be hopefully efficient,” said the Fil-German forward/center.

Flying here Saturday from a long trip from Beirut to Manila to Kuala Lumpur, Standhardinger bucked fatigue and helped Team Philippines to a hard-earned 81-74 decision over Thailand Sunday.

“It feels a little rusty and a little tired. But that’s okay. There’s no excuse,” said Standhardinger, ruing his woeful 7-of-14 foul shooting.

“I should have made my free throws, more free throws. It’s so important. That’s one thing I’m not satisfied with,” he added. “But everything else, I knew I gave my best. I’m very happy that it was enough to pull a victory.”

Standhardinger playing with great energy from a long trip was an inspiration to his teammates.

“How can you not admire Christian?” said Gilas skipper Kiefer Ravena.

“I pity him when he’s missing his free throws. It’s no longer his normal shots. He’s a man, not a machine. He’s getting tired,” Ravena added.

Standhardinger had no problem adjusting in playing with two different groups of players in three days.

He actually enjoyed it.

“It was fun playing with those guys,” he said.

“We had one practice and I picked it off. It’s a little bit also the same plays. Some plays are the same. So I think I did a good job there. I knew where to go,” he added. “But there were mistakes I made. I will watch the video and hopefully I’ll be better the next games.”