Who is Kirk Collier? - SPORTING CHANCE By Joaquin M. Henson

Ray (King) Tutt’s not the only import making waves for Red Bull in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors Cup. The Thunder has another import who’s playing a key role in turning the rookie franchise into a title contender even if he’s not in uniform. He’s Kirk Collier of South Carolina State.

Star-in-waiting Kerby Raymundo was supposed to fly to South Carolina and train under Collier last summer but the plan was scuttled when the former Letran hotshot had visa problems. So instead of Raymundo going to the US, Red Bull brought Collier here – that way, he’d be able to work with other Thunder players, too.

It was Red Bull executive George Balagtas’ wife Raquel who initially contacted Collier. Last July, Guiao and assistant team manager Andy Jao went to South Carolina to meet Collier and conduct tryouts for about 30 prospective imports and Fil-Ams. Guiao and Jao didn’t bring back any players – their top picks Larry Davis and Cedric Webber weren’t available – but found a jewel in Collier.

Collier is a skills coach, someone who tutors an athlete to play to his full potential.

"Kirk makes my job a lot easier," said Guiao. "He brings in new technology to our team. Kirk presides in the first 45 minutes of our three-hour practice every day. His goal is to work on individual skills – it requires personal attention. He really knows his stuff and he’s helped us a lot. He’s perfect as a training coach in a basketball school. His philosophy jibes with the coaching staff’s so there’s no problem in our relationship."

Collier has been here two months and his contract is good up to December. Jao said he has recommended to extend Collier’s contract another year.

"Kirk mainly teaches the big guys – how to post up, how to score under the basket, how to pivot," said Jao. "You can see the improvement in Von (Harp), Mick (Pennisi), and Cris (Bolado). He’s working with Kerby, too, but I think it’s important for Kirk to monitor Kerby’s development next year. Kirk’s a good teacher – he understands the game and he’s adjusting to the Filipino way of doing things."

Jao said Collier’s dream is to open a basketball school in South Carolina where kids can board and learn the basics of the game.

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Collier, 39, played basketball and earned a Master’s degree in vocational rehabilitation counseling at South Carolina State.

Collier said he’s been coaching since 1983 and while he has worked with some big-name players like the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Matt Harpring of Georgia Tech and Alvin Jones, he’d rather work with "projects" – athletes with no egos and the potential to become impact players.

Collier refused to take even partial credit for Red Bull’s ascent to the top this conference. "The guys are improving on their own – coach Yeng is being generous in giving me some credit," said Collier. "I’m just enjoying the opportunity to teach guys and make them better players. This is my first overseas assignment and I’m really grateful to Red Bull for this chance. I never expected basketball to be so big in the Philippines. The PBA’s a great league – in many ways, I think it’s better than the NBA. It’s more exciting because there’s a lot more offense and the fans really get into it."

Collier said in the NBA today, the best player – skills-wise – is San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. "Among the retired players, my choice is Larry Bird," continued Collier. "Tim may not jump as high as Theo Ratliff but he’s got all the skills. Once an athlete reaches 23 or 24, he can’t jump any higher or run any faster but he can still improve on his skills. In the PBA, (Kenneth) Duremdes is up there among the players with tremendous skills. There’s also (Rudy) Hatfield for his offensive rebounding and (Danny) Ildefonso for what he does at the post."

Collier said among the imports, Tutt is exemplary. "He’s got the talent, the skills, plus a great attitude," noted Collier.

Two players making a difference for Red Bull are Harp and Pennisi who according to a team source, are in the process of getting Philippine passports. The same source confided that they’re planning to settle down here. Pennisi recently dumped his Australian girlfriend for a Filipina.

"Harp’s father was a Filipino named Gonzalez," revealed the source. "His father deserted his mother when she was pregnant. So Harp never knew his father. In fact, Harp once said if he ever met his father, he wouldn’t know whether to embrace him or kill him. Harp took his mother’s surname. His mother and grandmother have been to Manila. He’s an only child. I think his father married his mother just to get US citizenship. As for Pennisi, his mother is from Nueva Ecija and was a domestic helper in Italy. She married an Italian and they migrated to Australia."

Guiao said he heard Harp is in touch with a Filipino cousin by phone and Pennisi has also been contacted by some Filipino relatives.

Both Harp and Pennisi played for US schools. Harp saw action for Kutztown State in Pennsylvania and led the NCAA Division II in field goal percentage in 1998-99. Pennisi suited up for Eastern Michigan, an NCAA Division I school.

Guiao said he couldn’t be happier in his situation at Red Bull. He took a three-year hiatus from coaching and now that he’s back, the future looks brighter than ever.