Kevin Murphy ready for physicality

San Miguel Beer import Kevin Murphy was assessed a Flagrant Foul Penalty 1 for an altercation with Phoenix forward Calvin Abueva during a PBA Governors Cup game at the MOA Arena last Friday. But according to San Miguel coach Leo Austria, the incident looked more serious than it actually was.

“If it’s a physical game, Kevin’s ready,” he said. “But no cheap shots. Phoenix tried to distract him, that’s part of the game and I advised Kevin to just keep his cool. I think Kevin was bullied and provoked. Kevin didn’t actually strangle Calvin. He put his arm on Calvin’s chest and was pushed backwards to make it appear he was in the act of choking. Inalalayan nga ni Kevin si Calvin at hindi naman niya hinatak. But it’s over so let’s move on.”

Murphy, 28, is no stranger to playing under difficult conditions around the world. He’s seen action in France, China, Japan, Croatia and Turkey. At Tennessee Tech, Murphy raised his scoring clip every year from 9.6 points to 15.3 to 17 to 21.1 before he was picked on the second round by Utah in the 2012 NBA draft. Murphy played only a year with the Jazz, scoring 15 points and logging 52 total minutes in 17 games. 

When JuneMar Fajardo is reactivated, Austria said Murphy will be even more of a fit with the Beermen. “JuneMar plays inside and Kevin, outside,” said Austria. “With JuneMar at five, Christian (Standhardinger) can slide to four. Kelly (Nabong) can be a stretch four or five. Against Phoenix, Kelly and Christian took turns defending (Eugene) Phelps. We rotated three bigs with Christian, Kelly and Arwind (Santos). With JuneMar, we’ll rotate four bigs. We haven’t used Kevin at four although we might, depending on the matchup. Chemistry is important for us. In the end-game, we’ll decide which combination is the most efficient.”

Austria said the timing was right for Marcio Lassiter to break out of his slump against Phoenix. Last Friday, Lassiter erupted for 26 points. “We didn’t want to go down to 2-5 so we were determined to beat Phoenix,” said Austria. “Marcio is healthy and that’s good news.” San Miguel beat Phoenix, 117-100 after losing three in a row.  

Five Beermen are averaging in double figure points – Murphy (36), Standhardinger (26.6), Lassiter (17), Santos (13.7) and Alex Cabagnot (12.4). “Christian is heaven-sent,” said Austria. “He’s full of energy from start to finish. Sometimes, when I call him back to the bench, he’ll tell me he’s not tired but I want him fresh in the end. I want our team to maintain a high level of intensity whether Christian is on the court or not.”

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Here are the last two of 10 unheralded players making waves in the PBA Governors Cup. 

Don Trollano. The scrappy 6-2 swingman from Adamson was Rain Or Shine’s second round pick in the 2015 PBA draft. He averaged 3.7 points as a rookie in 2015-16, 4.3 points in his second year and 3.9 points in the Philippine Cup this season. Trollano was traded to TNT before the start of the Commissioner’s Cup and went on to average a career-high 7.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 17.5 minutes in 13 games with the KaTropa.  

Trollano was named to the Gilas pool for the recent Asian Games and would’ve made the 12-man lineup if not for the late entry of Jordan Clarkson. Still, he joined the national squad in Jakarta and gained valuable experience, not to mention attention, as a practice player. In the Governors Cup, Trollano is averaging 4.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 13.7 minutes after sitting out the first five games due to his Gilas stint. In TNT’s 104-102 win over NorthPort last Sept. 30, Trollano compiled seven points and seven rebounds as a starter.

Bong Galanza. In the 2015 PBA draft, this 6-1 shooting guard was GlobalPort’s fifth round pick, the 46th of 54 chosen. He sat out the first two conferences of his rookie season before Mahindra signed him up for the Governors Cup where he averaged 1.3 points in three contests. Last season, the former UE standout averaged 3.6 points and 11.6 minutes in 18 total games with the Columbian franchise. 

In the Philippine Cup this campaign, Galanza averaged 4.3 points and 14.2 minutes in 11 games. He drifted away from the PBA and landed with the Batangas Athletics in the MPBL before NLEX lured him back to the majors for the ongoing Governors Cup. Galanza is now averaging a career-high 6.8 points in nine games with the Road Warriors. He hit 13 points in his first NLEX start against Phoenix last Wednesday.

These overachieving players are an inspiration to all aspiring athletes that if they work hard, stay disciplined and are determined to succeed, their dreams will come true.