After more than 17 years of loyal service, Chip Engelland will step down as assistant coach to Gregg Popovich when his contract ends, according to Jake Fischer of the Bleacher Report. The last lieutenant of the boss is leaving, and almost 30 years of history are slowly coming to an end before our admiring eyes.
A few days ago, we talked to you with enthusiasm regarding Fred Vinson, shooting-coach from New Orleans who became one of the most respected assistants in the League for his work with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram etc… Today, it is with a touch of sadness that we will have to pay tribute to Arthur Edward Engelland III, alias “Chip” Engelland, legendary Spurs shooting-coach of Gregg Popovich, who will leave the franchise once his contract expires. term. Much like his younger counterpart in New Orleans, Chip was never a big name player. However, the latter had started well by having the opportunity to be a ball boy from the age of 14 for the famous John Wooden at UCLA, before leaving to play under Coach K at Duke. But despite four years in the NCAA, the last of which as captain (shooting more than 55% from 3-pointers), the native of Los Angeles will never set foot on an NBA floor. Naturalized Filipino, the latter will however play nine years in the national team where the fans will nickname him “The Machine Gun” for his ability to chain the filoches. Engelland knows it: it is not as a player that he will leave his mark. So in 1991 – at the age of 30 – the latter retired, reflected on his future, and only returned two years later to start a new life: that of coach.
Ok there it is clearly the complete page which is turning in San Antonio… only Pop is missing and it will be… memory. https://t.co/a01fcfZiKI
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) July 11, 2022
Without special contacts in the NBA, without a worldwide reputation to rely on, the former Blue Devil will forge his own path. In 1993, he created the basketball camps Chip Shots in which he strives to improve the shooting of all who participate, regardless of age or gender. Later, in parallel, he founded the In-Net Corporation, in which he demonstrated all his analytical skills. This is how following six years of hard work, Chip Engelland is spotted by the Detroit Pistons, for whom he will become a shoot consultant. Admittedly, the role remains very theoretical, but that’s it: the machine (gun) is launched. In 2003, he did not miss the opportunity to climb the ladder and then took over the management of the “player development” center in Denver. However, it is still not enough for Chip, who does not find in these two functions the coaching role he prefers more than anything in the world. But luck will not take long to smile on him since in 2005, when they have just won the third title in their history, the Spurs offer Engelland to join them as an assistant coach, in charge of the shoot. It was the start of a love story that lasted more than 17 years and gave birth to two other NBA championship titles in 2007 and 2014.
But what should we remember from his almost two decades spent under the orders of Gregg Popovich? How do you say… let’s say that the list is a little too long to be detailed here. However, one example will suffice: Tony Parker. From his arrival in the NBA in 2001 until that of Chip Engelland in 2005, TP recorded 14 points on average at 45.8% shooting. To from the 2005-06 season until the 2016-17 season when he was injured (34 years old), Tony scores 17 points on average at 50.5% in shooting, including 54.8% in his first season with the new shooting coach of the Spurs. It’s no secret and Parker is also the first to repeat it when he has the opportunity: his career might never have been the same without the shooting specialist with whom he spent evenings whole has perfected its shoot, and in particular its mechanics. So obviously, it makes us want to put you directly on the spot : if Chip Engelland had never been to Spurs, would France have been European champions in 2013? Of course, it is impossible to answer the question but nothing prevents that the fact that it can be asked demonstrates all the influence of the guy.
On the occasion of Chip Engelland’s departure from SA, here is an extract from the Interior Sport documentary dedicated to Tony Parker, Chip talks regarding the changes made to TP’s jumpshot, straight inspired by his teardrop with in particular the spread position of his thumb. @SASpursFr pic.twitter.com/ZsthPAaP9s
— Franck MTD-BB (@MrTripleDble) July 11, 2022
Just like Fred Vinson, Chip Engelland, it is also a unique method that has often borne fruit. And it’s not Kawhi Leonard who will tell you otherwise. Shooting 45/25/74 during his two years in the NCAA, the Klaw transformed under Engelland to shoot 49.5/39/85 in six seasons with the Spurs and become one of the biggest mid-range shooters in the entire League. To be completely honest with you, Chip was the League’s first real “Shot Doctor”, no offense to Fred Vinson, who remains a worthy heir to the nickname. Do you really think we’d be talking regarding “Spurs Basketball” if Timmy’s gorgeous tape possessions ended in big cinder blocks on the edge? No. The legend of San Antonio is directly linked to that of Engelland, which allowed its players to shoot 41% from 3-pointers throughout the 2014 Playoffs campaign. Yes, yes, 41% over 23 matches at maximum intensity, lol. It’s very simple, since Chip’s arrival at the Spurs, never has a team reached such percentages in so many games (at a pinch there are the Cavs of 2017 with 42% in 18 games). Honestly, we just prefer to shut up and let Coach Pop explain why his assistant is so special.
“He just has a talent. He’s a great teacher, who understands all facets of shooting. He has this gift of knowing what to point the finger at when it comes to improvement, of being able to guess the common denominator of what needs to be improved. His sequenced approach to things is always right, he doesn’t skip steps and it allows players not to be lost but rather to have confidence. Sometimes bad shooters have fifteen people around them telling them what to do, whether it’s family, friends, agents, the whole world in fact. He goes through it all and earns their trust. »
– Gregg Popovich
To 61 years old, Chip Engelland will therefore leave the franchise at the end of this contract. The terms of the latter not being public, it is impossible to know the exact date of the departure of the assistant. So there is a good chance that this will be his last year. Will he retire from work? Will it continue elsewhere? Under what role? For the moment, we do not yet have the answers to all these questions. So maybe we should just be content to enjoy the last pages of a fabulous story: that of the lieutenant of the most successful coach in NBA history. In 2007, Tony Parker became Finals MVP. In 2014, Kawhi Leonard became Finals MVP. Chip therefore leaves the ship following having transformed young foams into real corsairs. Today, only her captain remains on board.
With this departure, Spurs fans will now have to face the facts: the Popovich era will soon come to an end. For his part, John Wooden’s ball boy in high school and then a player under Coach K and assistant to Gregg Popovich, Chip Engelland never ceased to rub shoulders with the greatest coaches in history, before even leave as a legend at his post.
Source texte : Bleacher Report / Sports Illustrated