Bonner gives credit to ex-Phl cager

MANILA, Philippines - San Antonio Spurs’ Matt Bonner, a first-time visitor, is surprised to learn that their assistant coach, Chip Engelland, played in the Philippines both professionally and as a naturalized player for the national team in the 1980s.

“It’s awesome. I can’t wait to get back and ask him about this,” said Bonner after conducting a clinic organized by NBA Cares and Sun Life Financial yesterday at Ronac Art Center in San Juan. 

One of the finest shooters in the NBA with career clips of 46.8 percent in field goal and 41.7 percent in three-point area, Bonner shared that Engelland has been helpful in improving his shooting stance.

“He’s helped me from time to time with my shots. He’s smart and if you’re already a good shooter, he’s not gonna do anything to mess it up. But he’s actually helped me widen my stance to get more balance in my shots; that’s probably the biggest thing, the one I tweak he’s made since I arrived with the Spurs and I think it’s helped,” said the 33-year-old cager.

Asked about the secret to being a good marksman, Bonner said: “Repetition and hard work. I’ve actually calculated how much shots I’ve had and it’s getting up towards one million. It’s practicing the right habits and good foundation, practice, practice, and hopefully you get that carried over to the game.”

Bonner, owner of one ring with the Spurs from their 2007 conquest, is in town to grace the official tip-off of the newly forged promotional partnership between NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, and Sun Life, a leading international insurance company. 

Highlight of the three-day event are NBA Cares clinic for kids from Children’s Garden and Virlanie Foundation and press conference at Ronac yesterday, NBA Cares clinic at Mall of Asia Arena today, and NBA FIT Global Games Philippines tomorrow.

It also serves as one of the major events in the leadup to the NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 between the Indiana Pacers and Houston Rockets at MOA Arena on Oct. 10.

Sun Life Assurance-Philippines president and CEO Riza Mantaring said the company is privileged to host a series of NBA events in Manila.

“As you know, Filipinos are basketball fanatics so bringing NBA players to our courts is like scoring the winning basket! The partnership of Sun Life and NBA not only allows us to bring fun and excitement closer to NBA fans in the Philippines but also allows us to make lives better through sports and wellness,” she said.

Bonner is thrilled to personally see how passionate Pinoy hoops fans are.

“The Philippines’ passion for basketball is awesome. I’ve heard a lot about how much this country loves the NBA and basketball and to finally be here and see people wearing NBA team gears, stickers on jeepneys and just to see how it’s part of our culture, it’s awesome,” he said.

Bonner also shares the country’s excitement over qualifying for the Fiba World Cup.

“I think it’s great for Phl. I know it’s gonna generate a lot of excitement for our sport and having seen how much you love basketball, I’ll definitely be cheering for you guys, too,” he said.

 The 6-foot-10 cager said the pain from the Spurs’ loss to Miami Heat in the last NBA Finals is still there but he expects them to regroup for the next wars.

“The Spurs is a great organization and regardless of how last year ended, it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing the game. We did it as a team, we have great chemistry, everybody’s getting alone on and off the court. It was through team effort that we’ve had success, although we came a little bit short last year.

“It’s heartbreaking and painful, it still hurts but if I know myself and my teammates, we’re gonna use that as motivation to come back next year, work even harder, to put us back in that position and hopefully get over our hump and try to win another championship,” he said.