Chip coming for World Cup
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MANILA, Philippines — The man known as Machine Gun during his celebrated career in the Philippines is coming back here with Team USA on coach Steve Kerr’s staff for the FIBA World Cup. Chip Engelland, 62, was on the Northern Consolidated team that won the PBA Reinforced Third Conference crown in 1985 and the San Miguel Beer squad that topped the Jones Cup the same year. The former Duke University sharpshooter also saw action for San Miguel at the FIBA Clubs Championships in Spain in 1985 and a highlight was an eight-point loss to the USA squad bannered by future NBA players David Robinson, Chuck Person, Steph Curry’s father Dell and Muggsy Bogues.
Now, Engelland has joined Team USA with assistant coaches Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few. His expertise as a shooting doctor will be counted on to hone the offensive skills of Kerr’s 12 players, none of whom has ever played at the Olympic or World Cup level. Kerr and Team USA managing director Grant Hill were among Engelland’s clients before he joined the San Antonio Spurs’ coaching staff in 2005. At San Antonio, he was credited for improving the shooting clips of Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Dejounte Murray, among others. Last season, Engelland joined the Oklahoma City Thunder as an assistant coach.
While Engelland will be immersed in working with Team USA in Manila, he’ll try to find time to reach out to former teammates like Hector Calma, Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim and Franz and Derick Pumaren. His last visit to Manila was in 2007 on the late Ambassador Danding Cojuangco’s invitation and had a reunion with coach Ron Jacobs.
Engelland was at Team USA’s first practice in the Mendenhall Center, Las Vegas, last week. The US has won five of 18 World Cup championships since 1950. Two titles came in 2010 and 2014 but in 2019, the US dropped to seventh place, its worst finish in 15 major international tournaments since NBA players joined the national team in 1992. After losing and winning in scrimmages with an NBA Select crew that included Fil-Am Jalen Green to kick off its World Cup preparations, Team USA clobbered Puerto Rico, 117-74 in the first of five friendlies in Las Vegas last Monday. Tune-ups are set with Slovenia on Aug. 12, Spain on Aug. 13 (both in Malaga) and Greece on Aug. 18 and Germany on Aug. 20 (both in Dubai). The US delegation is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Aug. 22.
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