MANILA, Philippines - NBA veteran Alton Lister, who was in Siot Tanquingcen’s coaching staff when San Miguel Beer won the Fiesta Conference title last season, is back in town looking to work for another PBA team.
Lister, 51, said the other day he could be close to signing a deal but declined to disclose the team likely to contract his services. The scuttlebutt is Alaska, Talk ‘N’ Text and Coca-Cola are interested in the 16-year NBA pro as a skills coach.
“I came back a week ago to sit down face-to-face with the guys whom I might be working with,” said Lister. “I appreciate the opportunity of being able to explain what I can bring to the table. Right now, I’m in the interview process. I love the Philippines and the way Filipinos love basketball. It’s basketball that has brought me back - and the challenge of winning another championship in the PBA.”
Lister was an Atlanta Hawks assistant coach in 2007-08 and took the San Miguel job on Paul Howard’s invitation last conference. Howard was Lister’s coach at Arizona State and has close ties with San Miguel being Ron Jacobs’ best friend.
“I helped out coach Siot as an assistant in game planning, strategizing in game situations and coaching at practice,” he said. “Aside from the Xs and Os, I worked with the guards and bigs, trying to develop their skills. I also brought in the import (Gabe Freeman) and was involved in the decision to try out another import (Chris Williams) before the start of the playoffs. It was a special feeling when San Miguel won the title in Game 7.”
Lister said his experience with San Miguel was unforgettable but now, it’s time to move forward.
“San Miguel is a class organization from top to bottom,” he said. “They gave me the opportunity to work in the PBA. This season, they’ve made some cutbacks and that’s understandable. I would’ve loved to stay with San Miguel but under the circumstances, I’m moving on and looking for opportunities. I want to continue being involved in basketball because that’s my life.”
Lister said he can do for any PBA team what he did for San Miguel.
“I’d like to think my contribution to San Miguel was the extra push I gave to get it over the hump,” he noted. “A team might be on the verge of a championship but it needs that extra push to get the job done. That’s where I come in. I’ve had a lot of experience at a high level in basketball and that’s always a plus. I can bring in a quality import and work him. I can work with guards and bigs as a skills coach. I can assist the head coach in game planning, at practice and whatever else.”
Lister said his stay in Manila is indefinite.
“My stay is open-ended,” he said. “I’m hoping to cut a deal soon. I’m excited to get back to work in the PBA.”
Lister admitted during the offseason, he was in the US interviewing for jobs in the NBA. He applied to join the coaching staffs of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers.
“With the NBA, you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “It was difficult to just hang around, waiting for a call. Nothing was firm. So when I found out some PBA teams were interested, I decided to come back to Manila and explore opportunities.”
Lister said looking for a job is a priority because he has to earn a living for his four children who are all in school - J. Ross, 20, Alton Jr., 13, Alexa, 12 and Amari, 3. His oldest son is 6-5 and playing for a junior college in Florida. Alton Jr. is now 6-2, wears a size 15 shoe, has long limbs and could shoot up to 7-feet like his father. He’s in Grade 7. His daughter is six-feet tall and plays volleyball while his youngest son has started to play basketball.
Lister played for five NBA teams in 16 seasons. He left Arizona State a year short of finishing his business management studies to turn pro in 1981. But Lister persevered to earn his degree in franchising 13 years later.
“Once you leave school and start earning, it’s difficult to go back,” said Lister. “But I made a promise to my mom who’s now 81. I told her I would take care of my degree. I never went back to campus, though. I finished the requirements through internet correspondence. It’s something I’m proud of and I want to leave it as a lesson to my kids.”
Throughout his NBA career, Lister said he made it a point to learn as much as he could from his coaches - Don Nelson at Milwaukee and Golden State, Bernie Bickerstaff at Seattle, M. L. Carr at Boston and Mike Dunleavy at Milwaukee and Portland. Lister played during the era of Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.