CStan aims to elevate game

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra’s Christian Standhardinger has an advocacy to elevate the game from the youth ranks so that as the kids learn the finer points of the game, they can play at a high level in college or the pros and dream of securing their families’ future with a successful career.

“I started a YouTube channel five years ago then I stopped,” said Standhardinger. “As I got more experience and I began interacting with fans, I decided to push it forward. When I watched Gilas play in the FIBA World Cup, I thought why not share with the fans what goes on behind the scenes. Then, we won the gold at the Asian Games so that’s another story to share. You can follow me on YouTube now but I plan to rebrand it to go beyond basketball. I want to reach out to kids. Everywhere I go, I see kids playing 3x3 or 5 on 5, wearing slippers or no slippers, shoes or no shoes, whether it’s raining or not. I’ve gone to courts to teach kids where to put their foot out in making the spin move or how to cut off a defender. Scottie Thompson does things that are unteachable because he has such an amazing instinct for the game. It starts from when you’re young.”

Standhardinger said the sky’s the limit when kids begin learning how to play the right way. “We can beat Germany, Serbia,” he said. “Why can’t we beat them? We need to make the little adjustments to be better. I want to put our country in the right direction.”

During the summer, Standhardinger spent quality time with family and his girlfriend. “I got engaged to a lovely lady in Santorini during a European trip,” he said. “While on vacation, I always looked for a 24-hour gym to work out. I’m a guy who needs to work out otherwise my body deteriorates. When I’m playing basketball and I take four days off, I feel it in my knees and back that I need to go back to the gym.”