Team USA assistant coach, ‘Shot Doctor’ Chip Engelland is PH’s former naturalized player

Chip Engelland, Filipino basketball fans in the 1980's sure do recognize him but the younger generation might not.

And so, here's a little trivia for the younger ones.

Chip Engelland AFP FILE PHOTO

Engelland, Team USA's assistant coach for the upcoming FIBA World Cup, used to be a naturalized player for the Philippines.

Fondly called as 'The Shot Doctor' for his knack to develop the shooting skills of NBA players, Engelland played for the Philippine team and Northern Cement coached by the late Ron Jacobs.

Engelland helped lead the Philippine basketball team in conquering 1985 Fiba Asia Cup (formerly known as ABC Championship) in Kuala Lumpur and the Jones Cup in Taiwan in the same year.

The 62-year-old was also part of the Northern Cement team that ruled the PBA 1985 Reinforced Conference.

Engelland, who stands at 6-foot-4, used to be teammates with PBA greats Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, and Samboy Lim.

After retiring as a player, Engelland went on to become an assistant to Greg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs for 17 years (2005-2022).

Hence, his connection to Steve Kerr, the current US men's basketball team head coach, who also played for the Spurs under Popovich.

Engelland, who also had assistant coaching stints with Detroit and Denver, moved to Oklahoma last NBA season for an assistant coach position.

Thus, going back to Manila this FIBA World Cup is some sort of homecoming for Engelland as well as Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra, of course.