Leo Austria is a former professional basketball player and is now the head coach of the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippine Basketball Association. He has an impressive resume as a player, and his coaching style and ability to motivate his team makes him a popular choice for the job. Austria's success with the San Miguel Beermen can be attributed to his ability to make the team compete at a high level. However, he is far from the only successful coach in the PBA.
Chot Reyes
Vincent "Chot" P. Reyes is a Filipino basketball coach and currently the head coach of TNT Tropang Giga in the Philippine Basketball Association. Chot has a rich background in basketball, most notably as a player and coach in the United States. Reyes began coaching basketball in college and has since been coaching teams in the U.S. and Europe. He has been a member of the SMB coaching staff since 2012.
During his first season as a basketball coach, the San Miguel Beermen went 4-1 and finished in second place. The team forged a big lead early and never looked back, led by Jose Perez and Jericho Cruz who scored 18 of his team's total output in the first half. Chot Reyes, SMB coach, took a leave of absence to focus on national team matters. Biboy Ravanes was brought in as interim coach during the first quarter and coached the team until Chot Reyes returned.
Reyes returned to the PBA after taking a coaching sabbatical and has made a strong return. He is the PBA's Coach of the Year for Season 46 and will receive his sixth Virgilio 'Baby' Dalupan Trophy at the Awards Night. Chot Reyes also guided TNT Tropang Giga to the Philippine Cup championship, a prestigious honor in the Philippine basketball world.
As an experienced coach, Reyes is no stranger to success. He has coached various teams to multiple PBA championships and was named PBA Coach of the Year five times. Reyes also led the Philippine national team to its first World Cup appearance in 13 years. He is the first coach to win more than two PBA Coach of the Year awards. And as a former professional player, Chot Reyes is also a successful executive.
Chot Reyes is expected to take over as head coach of the Beermen after Jong Uichico left the team. In addition to Reyes, Jong Uichico will leave SMB to coach Ginebra San Miguel. Siot Tanquingcen will be his assistant. He won two titles with Ginebra. Whether he takes the position of head coach of the Beermen is still a matter of speculation, but the fact that he was a team's coach before was encouraging.
Leo Austria
After winning several championships as head coach of the San Miguel Beermen, Leo Austria expressed concern over the team's growing number of injuries. The San Miguel Beermen are 3-0 in the PBA Philippine Cup, but they lost two key players in a game against Magnolia Timplados Hotshots on Saturday. Vic Manuel strained his calf and Chris Ross hurt his right knee in the second quarter. Both players have been sidelined since the injury, but Austria said he is proud of his team's character-building victory.
While coaching the Beermen, Austria also served as head coach of the Welcoat franchise, which was a low-level expansion team. Two of his star players were rookie Joe Devance and four-time MVP June Mar Fajardo. After guiding Welcoat, Austria also led the Shell franchise, which was disbanded last season, to two semi-finals appearances. However, his teams were lacking in star players.
The former professional basketball player Leo Austria was born on March 14, 1958. He is currently the head coach of the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association. His net worth is $1.5 million. Leo has a kind and pure heart personality and is popular on social media. His wife, Leo's mother, and younger sister are also part of his life. Leo Austria is a great example of a true gentleman.
Besides playing basketball, Austria also coached in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League. As a youth, Austria played basketball in the PBL before moving on to coaching in the league. During the breaks of the PBA season, Austria would travel to Sariaya to visit his hometown. He would meet up with his childhood friends. He would return to the hometown to see his family members and relatives. This is a good opportunity to catch up with Austria.
The San Miguel Head Coach Leo Austria recently attended the draft combine and is observing games of potential draft hopefuls. However, he was unable to comment on the rumors regarding the trade of Christian Standhardinger. Christian Standhardinger, who is a projected No. 1 pick, was not at the Draft Combine. He is currently playing for the Hong Kong Eastern team of the ASEAN Basketball League. If this is true, it would be a good sign for the team.
Ildefonso Ildefonso
Danny 'Ildefonso' Ildefonso, SMB's former star guard, won MVP and Best Player of the Conference honors in the 1998 season. He led the Beermen to two runners-up finishes in the All-Filipino and Commissioner's Cup. He led the team to two championships in his sophomore year, and later on added MVP honors in both the regular and playoffs.
After a stellar PBA career, Ildefonso's trade to San Miguel forced the team to trade for another player, Noy Castillo. Ildefonso also had multiple PBA contracts and had to buy out one in order to sign with San Miguel. But that wasn't all. The Beermen still wanted him as a cornerstone, and they made the trade to keep him in the franchise.
A talented athlete, Ildefonso played in collegiate basketball, including for the National University Bulldogs and AGFA in the Philippine Basketball Association. He even represented his country at the national level. Ildefonso's PBA career began in 1998 when he was drafted by the San Miguel Beermen. He later waived by the team and joined the Meralco Bolts, where he played for a single season before being released to the 2014 Expansion Draft. Ildefonso was not signed by Blackwater Elite due to contract issues.
Ceballos, however, has been a key part of San Miguel's success. While he didn't win the MVP award, his performance in the Finals was unquestionable. He was the league's best point guard and scored an MVP-caliber game-winning fade-away over Earl Barron. This helped San Miguel to the Finals, where they faced Talk 'N Text Phone Pals.
Tiu has invested in him and he's showing his support for the young coach. In his first game with the team, Ildefonso scored two points. He also sat next to Thirdy Rave, a second-generation basketball player, and marveled at Fadi El Khatib, a 40-year-old Lebanese legend.
Jong Uichico
The Philippine basketball team's head coach, Jong Uichico, was born in 1962. The former La Salle Green Archers and Philippine national team youth player won six PBA titles in nine seasons under Uichico's guidance. Before joining San Miguel Beermen, he had been coaching the Green Archers and the Bataan Risers. In the early 2000s, he was also the head coach of the Magnolia Beverage Masters. After the resignation of John Jacobs, Uichico was assigned as SMB's head coach. He coached the Beermen for six seasons and led the Bataan Risers to six PBA championships.
Uichico started coaching San Miguel in 1999. Before his tenure as SMB coach, the PBA allowed teams to hire one direct hire Filipino foreigner. He recruited Danny Seigle, the brother of NBA star Andy Seigle and Pop Cola guard Boybits Victoria. However, the Beermen struggled in the All-Filipino Cup, losing to Formula Shell and Mobiline. In the Governors' Cup, San Miguel managed to win with a four-point lead with just 12 seconds remaining.
Jong Uichico is the first Filipino to win the PBA championship as head coach. Before becoming the head coach of Ginebra, he was also a national team mentor. He worked with Cone and Reyes in the Gilas Pilipinas 2.0 program. Uichico was the top deputy of Reyes in Gilas Pilipinas 2.0, which won the silver medal at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship. This feat clinched the Philippine squad's first World Cup qualification in forty years.
Chot Reyes has been named the new head coach of San Miguel. Jong Uichico left the Beermen after eight seasons. The move reunited the team with a new coach. Jong Uichico has also transferred to the Barangay Ginebra Kings. He will be accompanied by Siot Tanquingcen, who won two PBA titles with Ginebra.
