Ex-PBA, UST star Dale Singson thrives as AAU coach in US
JERSEY CITY, New Jersey – Former Growling Tiger Dale Singson returned to UST nearly two decades after helping the school build a UAAP dynasty in the 90s.
The 47-year-old retired PBA player is at the tail-end of a short vacation trip in the Philippines to see his sons — Elijah Daleandre “Boom” Singson — follow in his footsteps.
Elijah, his eldest son, is on UST Team B, while Boom, the second eldest, is set to play for the San Sebastian Golden Stags in the upcoming NCAA season.
But his sons are just two of a growing number of basketball players Singson has developed in the US after leaving the PBA and the country.
Following a 10-year PBA career playing for five different teams — the now-defunct Shell Turbochargers, Coca-Cola Tigers, Powerade Tigers, Alaska Aces and San Miguel Beermen — Singson migrated to the US in 2012.
But it was two years later when Singson dipped his hands into coaching after Boom joined a basketball team.
“Sobrang kinawawa yung team nila [Boom],” Singson’s wife, Lizette, told Philstar.com. “Sabi ko, wala ka bang pwedeng gawin?”
That’s when the former pro player took matters into his own hands. His wife pushed him to get a USA basketball coaching license to be able to coach in the American Athletic Union (AAU) circuit.
From the league’s whipping boy, his son’s team transformed into a powerhouse in the North American Basketball Association, an East Coast-based league organized by Filipino immigrants.
Soon after, kids and parents from opposing teams gravitated toward Singson.
Kyle Perez, a 6-foot-4 guard now playing Division III basketball at Union College and planning to play in the Philippines next year, was only 16 when his father recognized Singson on the opposing team’s bench in one of the tournaments he’s played in.
After the game, Kyle’s father persuaded him to take a photo with Singson.
“At the time, I didn't know who he was,” Perez told Philstar.com. “But my dad was a huge fan of him. And he was like, ‘Oh, you know who that is? I was like, he’s the coach I just played against. He said, ‘No.’ And he was, like, really silent. And he was really excited. I didn't know who [Singson] was.”
Singson not only coached the kids to play as a team but also served as their personal skills trainer.
“He helped me understand parts of the game I didn't know from a professional point of view, which helped me out a lot,” Kyle said.
Per Zip Recruiter, the average salary rate for a personal basketball trainer in the US is $29 per hour. Still, most trainers in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) can easily command $40-$50 per hour. But Singson does it for free for his players. Lizette said it is Dale’s way of giving back to the Filipino community and to the game that opened many doors for him and their family.
Singson is a back-to-back champion coach in the NABA U-19 division, hoping to make it three in a row next month. Currently, he is the head coach and consultant of the North Jersey Team, which merged with FPOTL under Ruel Cabanilla. The North Jersey Team has seven teams, from 8-and-under to 23-and-under.
The one-time PBA All-Star guard is also set to coach in the next NBTC tournament, where his other players — 6-foot point guard Richmond Casino and 6-4 wing Jason Suba got their first exposure on Philippine soil.
Casino, a dual athlete (basketball and volleyball) from Belleville High School, is now serving his one-year residency with the Lyceum Pirates, while Suba is also doing the same at UST.
“Sinama ako one time ni Boom sa practice nila. That’s when I first met coach Dale. Nakaka-intimidate nga po nung una, siyempre [former] PBA player, pero sobrang iba [siya]. Napaka-humble niya. Doon na nagsimula ang bonding namin at training,” Casino told Philstar.com.
Singson works for the Iraq embassy at the United Nations in New York by day and coaches his youth basketball team at night.
“Coach Dale’s practices are very, very hard,” Suba told Philstar.com before he flew to the Philippines last week to join Singson’s alma mater.
RA Brucal said Singson runs a two- to three-hour practices once or twice a week. Brucal is a 5-foot-10 combo guard from Union City High School who also plans to play college ball in the Philippines next year.
“Lahat ginagawa namin sa practice,” Brucal said.
But they are not complaining. They are grateful for having a coach with an extensive professional playing career.
“You learn a lot during his practices. He breaks down everything, every little detail,” Suba said.
“I've been playing for coach Dale since I was in second grade, and he's like a second dad to me,” Brucal added.
Singson also coached UST’s current player Echo Laure, son of his former teammate and a good friend Eddie Laure, in the US-based Filipino basketball leagues.
More kids are in Singson’s pipeline as he plans to shift his focus from the U-19 to their U-16 team to help develop more Filipino-American kids and prepare them not only for the collegiate level but also mold their values off the court.
“Dale does not just teach them skills, but he also makes sure that they become a man for others in and out of basketball,” his wife said.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.
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