Standhardinger bound for Manila to join powerhouse Beermen

MANILA, Philippines — This Philippine Basketball Association season’s top draft pick is about to clock in for work.

Christian Standhardinger, the 6-foot-8 big man from Munich, Germany, is on his way to the capital, the cager himself revealed on Friday morning.

Speaking in an Instagram Story entry, the Filipino-German cager said he is “excited” to begin a new journey in his professional career.

Standhardinger recently wrapped up a stint with the Hong Kong Eastern Sports Club, an Asean Basketball League team based in Hong Kong. They fell to the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in two games during the semifinals earlier this week.

The PBA rookie is no longer a stranger to Filipino fans as he already flashed his vast arsenal in multiple tours of duty with the national team.

A gold medalist during the recent Southeast Asian Games, Standharidnger is set to join a playing field where he plays against and alongside, respectively, former teammates Kiefer Ravena and Von Pessumal.

Standhardinger mentioned that he is also thrilled to finally settle down in the Philippines. Among the things he said he looks forward to is his “new apartment.”

A source from the San Miguel Beermen camp confirmed to Philstar.com that Standhardinger is set to immediately join the team’s training session on Saturday at the Acropolis Gym.

"I'm excited for the new journey. I hope everything [will be] good and set up,” he said in a separate Instagram posting.

Standhardinger’s arrival significantly bolsters the defending Commissioner’s Cup champions frontline. The big man joins four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and foreign reinforcement Troy Gillenwater.

“Dalawa ang import na darating sa amin,” head coach Leo Austria said in jest shortly after winning the Philippine Cup title. “Isa from Hong Kong and isa from US.”

“[But] you still need to work hard dahil talent is not enough. There's a great possibility that we can win another championship, But this is a long shot because every team in the PBA right now is trying to build up their team,” the mentor added.

“Let’s go!” Staandhardinger teased before ending his live video feed.