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Under-the-radar Christian Standhardinger continues to impress in Jakarta

Philippines Basketball

If there's an unsung hero for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2018 Asian Games, it's got to be Christian Standhardinger.

For the duration of the tournament, the spotlight has been on Filipino-American NBA talent Jordan Clarkson, and for good reason. A player of his caliber - one that Philippine basketball stakeholders moved mountains for just to get in the lineup - definitely deserves the attention.

However, in the Philippines' 113-80 drubbing of Japan on Tuesday night, it was Standhardinger that shone the most. He delivered 27 points on an efficient 11-for-14 shooting clip, to go with 13 rebounds and three steals.

For the first time since Clarkson came in, a different player top-scored for the team. Standhardinger showcased his unconventional moves in the paint, his defensive impact, and his overall hustle in the victory.

"My teammates did a great job giving me the ball in the right place. I just lay it up and that's it," the 29-year-old humbly said about his performance.

In particular, Standhardinger's connection with Clarkson, who also impressed with 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, was on full display throughout the contest.

"Jordan makes it really hard to guard that pick-and-roll," said Standhardinger. "We're clicking and he's a smart player. He sees me (when I roll) and I appreciate that."

Standhardinger making a huge difference is not really surprising, given his skill set and determination to help the team in any way he can. With averages of 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals, the Filipino-German has been an unstoppable force right from the get-go of the continental meet.

"Christian has been very consistent," Gilas head coach Yeng Guiao said about his prized big man.

While Standhardinger was happy with the win, he also expressed his frustration over the missed opportunity to barge into the semifinals after dropping their match against South Korea last Monday.

"I'm very disappointed that we don't play for the medal round. That's something we couldn't get done and I'm very, very sorry for that," he said. "To be honest with you, that was for us all very disappointing because we felt like we were the better team. We just need to adjust fast next time."

Standhardinger also tried to absolve the coaches of any blame, after Guiao took full responsibility for that loss.

"I saw that coach Yeng takes all the responsibility. I just want to say, he did a great job," he continued. "Everybody did a great job in scouting. The game plan was good too. It's our responsibility, all of us, we all made mistakes."

"I think (coach) does and did a tremendous job, and that day, it just wouldn't go. But obviously, I'm happy that we got the victory today and I hope we brought some happiness back home to the Philippines."

Standhardinger and the rest of the Philippine squad are hoping to finish strong as they aim to topple Syria on Friday for a fifth-place finish.

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