THROUGHOUT history, Philippine basketball has had some of the best foreign players and coaches. Ron Jacobs was definitely a strong personality, and he really got the best from the teams he handled. His protege, Arthur David "Chip" Engelland has been an assistant coach with many NBA teams, specifically the San Antonio Spurs.

One of his very visible achievements was developing the shot of Kawhi Leonard. From being a defensive specialist, Engelland helped change Leonard's shooting form, and his three-point percentage increased to 39 percent. The Klaw is now one of the best players in the world after he developed this new weapon to his already packed arsenal.

Now, Engelland is with the OKC Thunder, and I'm excited to see how he develops Chet Holmgren, who already has a stroke from the outside. He could become a major threat to other teams if he improves his shooting the way Leonard has.

The end of an era?

Pardon the digression, but I just wanted to present how the Philippines, despite being considered as "third world" (an obsolete but ubiquitous term), has had world-class coaching talent for basketball. This is due in part to basketball being a major business in the country, as it is far and away the no.1 sport.

But it's not all about the money. Coaches also take the challenge as a more fulfilling personal mission than simply coaching another college or pro team in the US or Europe. The national team means there are millions of fans who will worship you — and you can see that in the forums where true Filipino basketball fans have been defending and clamoring for Tab Baldwin's return.

On August 18, it was announced that Nenad Vucinic, a protege of Tab Baldwin and assistant/consultant to Gilas Pilipinas and the Meralco Bolts, filed his resignation from both his posts. The Game 7 loss of the Bolts to the San Miguel Beermen was his swan song.

SBP spokesman Sonny Barrios clarified that it was not a resignation but more of a non-renewal. "His contract is only up to August and he decided not to stay to pursue other opportunities, I believe, in New Zealand," Barrios clarified. "So it was not like he resigned in the middle of a contract."

It figures since Vucinic was the coach of the New Zealand national team, taking the reins from Baldwin himself. The Tall Blacks are one of the powers of FIBA Asia-Oceania and made its mark on the world stage. It's clear that hiring Baldwin and eventually Vucinic was propelled by the goal of reaching similar heights.

Further reports stated that Vucinic "wanted to help" but was not given much opportunity to do so. It was previously assumed that he might coach Gilas in the FIBA Asia qualifiers 4th Window, which made sense since Chot Reyes is busy with TNT Tropang Giga's campaign to defend their Philippine Cup — definitely important for the MVP group's ego, especially since the SMC teams are in the semifinals.

It's a clear message — the SBP and whoever is backing them, wants to live and die with local coaches, specifically, PBA coaches. They are no longer open to hiring foreign talent and the infusion of world-level experience and tactics.

The SBP's insistence to have Chot Reyes take the reins is devoid of all logic and practicality. If they had personnel like Vucinic to tap, why do they insist on waiting for Chot? That simply does not make sense.

Chot had reportedly resigned his post, but the SBP refused to accept it and kept hailing him as a selfless hero/patriot/savior. For Filipino basketball fans, all they want is the best team possible and a more dignified finish in the World Cup, where we finished 32nd out of 32.

But that was Yeng Guiao, this is Chot Reyes. Six-time PBA Coach of the Year. In any case, with Vucinic's departure, Tab Baldwin may not be far behind, and may only honor his contractual obligations with Ateneo, now his lone designation.

Basketball development will live and die with the SBP, and with more PBA involvement, we are unlikely to have foreign coaches in the future.