"Good to hear that Jake (Ron Jacobs) is the national coach again," wrote Engelland in an e-mail to The STAR, from his Orlando, Florida home. "I bet the competition will be tough. Let me know if I can ever help in any way."
Engelland, 40, played here for three years and would’ve qualified as a national player in 1987. He had a year left of residence as a naturalized citizen when the EDSA Revolution broke out in 1986 and crushed his hopes of suiting up for the Philippines.
"I would’ve been proud to play for the Philippines," he said. "I lived in Manila three years. I loved the country and the people. It was a life’s experience and I chose to become a naturalized player like many others in the basketball world. I didn’t expect to be caught in a political crossfire. When the EDSA Revolution happened, no one wanted me anymore. I was hurt and sad."
Engelland said his experience in the Philippines changed his life. "It opened my eyes to Filipino values," he explained. "I was born in Chicago, the youngest and only boy of three children and moved to California when I was nine then played basketball in high school before enrolling at Duke. I’ve saved all my jerseys and newspaper clippings from the Philippines. Even now, I bump into Filipinos in the US asking me why I never came back. I’ve been quiet because no one has bothered to reach out. But I understand politics. I just think politics should never have entered the equation in the first place."
Engelland also expressed his condolences to former teammate Alfie Almario’s family in the e-mail.
"What a shock," he said. "Alfie was my best friend on the team so it cuts deep. Sad to hear about his four kids. I wanted the people to know what a great teammate and even better friend he was. Although he and I competed (for) the same position over three seasons, he was the best and helped me a lot. When I return to Manila, I will do something for my missed teammate and friend."
Almario succumbed to a heart attack last month.
Engelland and Almario were teammates on the San Miguel Beer squad that captured the 1985 Jones Cup title in Taipei. Engelland scored 43 points to fuel San Miguel’s 108-100 overtime win over the US for the crown. It was Engelland’s last game in a Filipino uniform. The US, coached by Gene Keady, was led by future pros Kenny Gattison, Harold Pressley, Joe Wolf, and Kevin Henderson.
In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Engelland averaged 27.5 points in 78 games for Northern Cement in 1984 and 1985.
Known as the shooting doctor, Engelland teaches clients like Hill, Holdsclaw, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Mark Madsen, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Corey Magette, the Memphis Grizzlies’ Shane Battier, and the Portland Trail Blazers’ Steve Kerr the finer points of putting the ball in the hole. His company "Chip Shots" conducts summer basketball camps throughout the US. He is often asked by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to teach varsity players how to shoot.