Jorge Gallent named San Miguel coach; questions surround Leo Austria’s ‘sabbatical’

San Miguel Beer entered a new era under long-time assistant coach Jorge Galent, whose promotion to the top position as a replacement for Leo Austria was not without question.

San Miguel’s management released a statement on Saturday that the Austrian is seeking a ‘coaching sabbatical’ after a stint highlighted by nine championships and multiple Coach of the Year trophies.

Team manager Gee Abadilla confirmed the coaching change and added that the Austrian was retained as a consultant.

“Coach Leo met with the management a few days ago and told them that he wants to take a coaching sabbatical for personal reasons since the Governor’s Cup,” Abanilla said on Saturday. “We respect his decision and understand his situation because we support him with everything he needs.

“With this development, he will remain with the team as a consultant and we have appointed Jorge Galent as head coach,” he said.

The media was alerted to the coaching change when the official lineup released by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) showed Galent as the man now assigned to take care of the Beermen ahead of the season-ending Governor’s Cup that starts Sunday.

There are murmurs on social media, however, that there may be a different story for the coaching switch, especially after a member of the Austrian family offered to take a different approach when the news of the change in the San Miguel camp was made official.

“These people can’t even get a true statement. Scrambling for an imaginary reason,” said the son of Austria Bacon on his Twitter account.

Health protocol

Speculation is rife about Austria’s exit, even as San Miguel’s 2022 Philippine Cup Finals meet against TNT in early September. The Beermen won in seven games after overcoming a 3-2 deficit.

Then, Austria was placed under health and safety protocols in the middle of the Commissioner’s Cup qualifiers as San Miguel fell to a 3-5 card. The Beermen tapped Galent, who led the Beermen to four straight wins to secure a quarterfinal berth.

San Miguel’s performance under Galent was followed by a two-game sweep of Converge in the quarters as many questioned why Austria didn’t return to the sidelines. They finally came back in Game 2 of the semifinals against visiting Bay Area, but the Beermen were eliminated in four games.

Austria was appointed head coach in the 2014-15 season, immediately turning the flagship franchise from the struggles of the “Petronovela” era into multiple championships with a core led by June Mar Fajardo.

It’s a period of dominance that San Miguel officials want to emulate under Galent, who aside from his previous PBA stint as B-Meg (now Magnolia) coach in 2011 is known for guiding Harbor Center to six out of seven straight titles in the Philippine Basketball League that has died.

“Coach Jorge will take over the PBA head coaching experience and a bright future for the franchise,” said Abanilla, as he vowed to San Miguel supporters that “we will continue to work together and strive for a successful campaign in the Governor’s Cup and beyond. .”

The change comes during the third conference opener at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, with Meralco and Rain or Shine kicking off the battle at 4:30 p.m.

Bonnie Tan debuted as coach of NorthPort at 18:45 nightcap against Converge, which looks to improve in the quarter-finals show in the Commissioner’s Cup young mentor Aldin Ayo.

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