Chip a Pinoy at heart

MANILA, Philippines - San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland lived in Manila less than three years but he’ll always regard the Philippines as his second home. His last visit was in 2007 and he’s looking forward to another trip but at the moment, he’s immersed in preparations for the coming NBA season.

Engelland, 52, is hosting the San Antonio visit of La Salle head coach Juno Sauler and assistants Allan Caidic and Jun Limpot. When Engelland welcome the travellers last Sunday, he said the weather is perfect just like Baguio. Engelland still remembers the Filipino words he picked up during his memorable stay – “pasalubong” “kaliwa/kanan dito” (his directions to the taxi driver) “swerte” “chismis,” among others.

“I love the Philippines and the Filipino people,” he said. “It was a blessing that I got to play in the Philippines. I didn’t want to stay holed up in my apartment, I went out to assimilate and learn as much of the culture as I could. I got to know a lot about Filipino values. I love Filipino food and I used to eat at ‘Sinugba,’ ‘kamayan’ style all the time. I don’t know if that restaurant still exists. I’ll always be grateful to Ambassador (Danding) Cojuangco for giving me the chance to play and I’ll do anything he asks me to do for Philippine basketball. A lot of Filipinos still walk up to me in the US. Someone even told me I look like a Filipino mestizo.”

Engelland is entering his ninth season with the Spurs, the longest-tenured assistant in coach Gregg Popovich’s staff. His work involves skills development and he’s widely considered the top shooting coach in the league. Steve Kerr, Grant Hill, Shane Battier, Corey Maggette and Chamique Holdsclaw were among his “projects.” Now, he’s focused entirely on the Spurs. He has been credited for improving the shooting percentages of Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Matt Bonner.

In 1985, Engelland played on the Northern Consolidated team that represented the country at the FIBA Clubs Championships in Spain and on the San Miguel Beer squad that won the Jones Cup in Taipei. He would’ve been eligible to play on the national team as a naturalized player in 1987 but after the EDSA Revolution, the country’s basketball program took a different direction. Engelland, nicknamed “Machine Gun,” is best remembered for firing 43 points, including eight triples, to power San Miguel Beer’s 108-100 overtime win over USA in the Jones Cup finals. He was joined on coach Ron Jacobs’ squad by Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Caidic, Franz Pumaren, Tonichi Yturri, Yves Dignadice, Jun Tan, Alfie Almario, Dennis Still and Jeff Moore. The reserves were Peter Aguilar, Jerry Codiñera, Al Solis and Naning Valenciano. The USA team that Jacobs brought down was coached by legendary Purdue coach Gene Keady and featured future NBA cagers Joe Wolf, Kevin Henderson, Harold Pressley and Kenny Gattison.

Engelland said he’s fortunate to be connected with the Spurs organization owned by Peter Holt. He said during the NBA offseason, there were 84 coaching changes from top to bottom. Three former Spurs assistant coaches are now head coaches – Orlando’s Jacque Vaughn, Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer and Philadelphia’s Brett Brown. Other former Spurs assistant coaches who are now first assistant coaches are Orlando’s James Borrego and Washington’s Don Newman. It’s a tribute to Popovich that his assistant coaches are in high demand all over the league. Spurs general manager R. C. Buford also enjoys a solid reputation for his work.

When Engelland was reunited with Caidic on this trip, they reminisced about the good old days. “Our team with coach Jacobs was great with guys like Hector and Samboy but when Allan came on board, we got really better,” said Engelland. “In the Jones Cup, Allan played a big role. He’s the Triggerman.”

Engelland said he’ll never forget playing for Northern Consolidated in the PBA. “Once, before taking a free throw against Toyota, I went up to (Sonny) Jaworski and told him I’d pay to watch him play because I’m a huge fan,” recalled Engelland. “That’s respect. In the PBA, I got at least 40 stitches all over my face. I got hit near the nose by Tito Varela and a Crispa point guard punched me below the belt, luckily, I wore a cup protector. I remember Atoy Co and Bogs Adornado. One of our San Antonio players Marco Belinelli shoots like Atoy, leaning away. I hope guys I used to play with like Jerry Codiñera, Tonichi, Jun Tan, Elmer Reyes and Franz and Derick Pumaren are doing well.”

At the FIBA Clubs Championships in 1985, Engelland recalled playing against the US with a young David Robinson who is now a minority Spurs owner. The Philippines beat Banco Di Roma of Italy by 19 but lost to Monte Libano of Brazil by one and the US by eight. The US team was bannered by Robinson, Dell Curry, Chuck Person, Armon Gilliam, Muggsy Bogues and Larry Krystkowiak.