Ex-import eager to coach in PBA

It’s been 25 years since former Toyota import Andy Fields played in the PBA and now that he’s 51, the man fondly called “Andres Bukid” by his Filipino fans hopes to return as a coach–if there are takers.

Fields was recently spotted by Filipino tourist Robin Tong at the Fairfield Inn in Philadelphia. Tong spoke to Fields who readily shared his contact numbers to reconnect with local media.

In a later e-mail to The Star, Fields said he works as an assistant inspector for the New Jersey casino control commission and is applying to coach the varsity basketball team of his alma mater Cheyney State, a Pennsylvania school west of Philadelphia.

Fields won the Best Import award in 1981 and led Toyota to three championships before leaving the PBA in 1983 when the Tamaraws disbanded. He is in the PBA record books for averaging 15.5 rebounds in five seasons–second only to Norman Black in the all-time standings.

With fond memories of his PBA career, Fields said he hopes to someday visit Manila to coach “if an organization would hire me for the right amount of money.” 

Fields said his most unforgettable PBA moment was winning the Open conference championship for Toyota in 1981. His teammates included Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz, Ramon Fernandez, Danny Florencio, Abe King and Arnie Tuadles.

“I’ve played for several championship teams around the world but I never played with a trio of players like Sonny, Ramon and Francis,” he said. “I’ve heard so much about their success and I’m really proud of Sonny. I was sad to hear about Tuadles (who was gunned down during a poker game). Filipinos love their basketball. The brand of play (in the PBA) could compete with the rest of the world. I should know. I keep track of what goes on in the PBA through the internet. A lot has changed, especially the sponsors and uniforms.”

Fields said his staunchest opponents in the PBA were NBA veterans Glenn McDonald and Aaron James. “I’ll never forget us (Toyota) losing the finals to them (U-Tex) in the last 16 seconds,” he added. 

After leaving the PBA, Fields went on to play in Belgium, Holland, France and Switzerland for 13 years. 

“I’m not in touch with any of my teammates directly but Filipinos who live in my area (Atlantic City) give me news of the PBA,” he said. “The person I was in touch with after leaving the PBA was Nena Marcos, a dear friend.”

Fields singled out Curtis Berry and Sylvester Cuyler as the only ex-imports he has kept track of through the years. He played against Berry in Switzerland while Cuyler was appointed boxing commissioner in New Jersey. His favorite import was the late Bruce (Sky) King.

Fields said he owes everything in his life to God for answering his prayers. When he was 14, Fields underwent open heart surgery for murmurs and survived to become a star cager at Cheyney State. In 1978, he was named MVP in the playoffs as Cheyney State bagged the NCAA Division II crown. 

In the 1979 NBA draft, Fields was picked on the second round by Portland and came close to playing for the Trail Blazers. “The organization decided to only sign Jim Paxson, their first round pick, and keep a veteran team that won the NBA title in 1977,” he related. “I had tryouts with Atlanta in 1980 and Indiana in 1982. In both cases, the organizations did not want to guarantee any money to come back to veteran camp. Plus, at the time, I loved where I was playing in Manila.”

Fields said Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper were friends who became NBA stars. Today, another friend Sam Mitchell coaches the Toronto Raptors.

As for the NBA Finals, Fields said as a Los Angeles fan, he’s excited to witness the rivalry rekindled between the Lakers and Boston as in the era of Johnson and Larry Bird. “It’s about time t bring it back with Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce,” he said.

Fields married his second wife Pamela in 2003. Both have two children from previous relationships and none plays basketball. Fields’ two children are Matthew, 22, now playing for the minor league baseball team Vero Beach Devil Rays, and Angelica, 10, who lives in the Italian part of Switzerland. His wife’s children are Jacques, 21, and Giovanni, 13.

As a coach, Fields has worked in the John Chaney and Sonny Hill camp at Temple University the last eight years. He was league director and coach of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Atlantic City and Camden County in the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA for six seasons. In 1999, Fields was an assistant coach for the Lancaster Storm that won the United States Alliance League title. 

Fields described himself as “a self-starter with a wealth of knowledge as a former high school and semi-pro coach, pro player and collegiate student athlete who constantly strives to develop as a coach with experience in team instruction, leadership, motivation, player development and techniques, conditioning preparation and camps and clinics.” He said he has proven administrative skills in academic monitoring, promotions and marketing, budgeting, recruiting, fund-raising, staffing and scheduling and travel planning.