Staten Island Advance

Stocks and Shots

Before 65-year-old John Engles was working in stocks and bonds, the 6-foot-8 power forward from West Brighton was getting up shots and blocks for St. Peter's in the early 1970s. 

The two-time Jaques Award winner saw his basketball career reach the pinnacle of college recruiting, receiving interest from the likes of Hall of Fame coaches Dean Smith and John Wooden, before opting for UPenn and eventually a brief stint in Europe. 

Today, he's a happily married father of two who has spent the last 33 years residing in Briarcliff, NY -- but this is the path that got him there. 

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Staten Island Advance

Military Home

Engles, the son of Kenneth and Katie, grew up in a military home -- his father served under General Patton and fought on D-Day, while his mother was an army medic. 

Kenneth was also a player/coach at Georgetown in the 1940s. 

The West Brighton native still has fond memories of his SI upbringing. 

"It was great," said Engles. " I was at Walker Park all the time playing basketball, baseball, tennis." 

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Staten Island Advance

"Pretty Decent"

John dominated the local basketball landscape, piling up 1,000 points (prior to the days of the three-point line) while guiding the Eagles to three SIHSL crowns. 

A Parade HS All-American and named to Scholastic's 40-man All-American team, Engles became a wanted commodity on the college recruiting trail. 

"Around my junior year I realized I must be pretty decent," said Engles after receiving college interest from Princeton, North Carolina, Duke, and Notre Dame. 

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Perennial Powers

Nevertheless, the big man spurned the likes of Smith and Wooden - the perennial powers of college hoops - to attend UPenn. 

"I told [Coach Smith] if coaching was the only criteria, I would've gone to UNC," admitted Engles. " He came to my house.  He had me, my mom, my dad, and sister down to Chapel Hill. 

"When I made the decision [to go to UPenn] I called him and he respected my decision and wished me all the best," added Engles. 

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UPenn

The big-bodied forward was also a wiz in the classroom and took his talents to UPenn, where his basketball stardom continued to shine. 

"I just though the combination of Penn's academics and basketball, plus being a part of a great team...you can't lose," said Engles. " UPenn was a slight cut above the rest academically and I wanted to go there." 

Engles was excellent in his inaugural collegiate season -- totaling more than 14.1 points per game to go along with 8.3 rebounds en route to garnering the ECAC's Rookie of the Year Award as well as the Ivy League Sophomore of the Year Award. 

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Devastating Blow

After averaging better than 17 points and 10 boards during his junior season, a devastating, and career-threatening knee injury forced him off the court. 

Nevertheless, the unrelenting Engles underwent an arduous rehabilitation process, only to see it all come crashing down six months later when he re-tore his ACL and MCL ligaments, for a second time. 

"They tried to repair it, it just didn't work out right [the first time]," said Engles. " I did a good job rehabbing, I built the muscle mass in my leg and worked hard, the doctor was even surprised. 

"Unfortunately, I had to to go back in," he added. " The second time really put a damper on my ability to recover." 

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Staten Island Advance

No Quit

But there was no quit in the Staten Islander, who rallied to return to the court for his senior season and was arguably as good as ever -- posting 16.7 ppg and 7.4 rebounds on his way to becoming just one of 31 players in UPenn history to eclipse the 1k scoring mark. 

Still recovering, Engles went toe-to-toe with Joe Bryant, father of Kobe, for the city title against LaSalle University and emerged the victor. 

He even garnered second-team All-American honors following his impressive return to the floor. 

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NBA Dreams

"[UPenn] was a great education, a great school, and gave me some long-lasting friendships," remembered Engles. 

Bigger things were still in store for Engles, who heard his name called in the fourth round of the 1976 NBA Draft as a pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers -- the same draft that produced the likes of Robert Parish and Adrian Dantley. 

"I was hoping to be drafted higher," admitted Engles. " NBA scouts said they were looking at me closely, but unfortunately, after surgery, I didn't recover quick enough. 

"I didn't have the same strength after," he added. " I became a finesse player, a better shooter...I was an overpowering power forward and I couldn't do that anymore." 

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Staten Island Advance

Around The World

A career with the Cavs ultimately never materialized, and Engles spent two years playing in Europe before heading home. 

"I used the money from playing in Europe to pay off my tuition and attend grad school," he said. 

Dean Smith even offered him the opportunity to try out for the USA Olympic team that year, though he ultimately declined. 

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Real World

Engles wound up trying out for the New Jersey Nets, though he did not make the team, but the Euro league was still seeking his services. 

Ultimately, Engles made the jump to the real world -- taking his first job with Chemical Bank. 

"I never played any organized leagues after that, it was over," said Engles. 

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Family Man

Today, John Engles lives comfortably in Westchester alongside his wife of 36 years, Kathleen. 

He's still working in finance and the couple share a son and daughter: Shawn, 31, who graduated from Penn as well and followed his father's footsteps into finance, and Katie, 28, who graduated from Georgetown and works at George Washington University Hospital. 

Engles was recently inducted into the Basketball Old-Timers Hall of Fame of America, joining hoops legends Willis Reed, Dave Debusschere, Chris Mullin and others. 

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All In The Family

These days, he enjoys following his nephew Jim, who coaches at Columbia University. 

"I follow Jim quite a bit, I feel he's truly turning a corner for Columbia basketball," said Engles. 

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Blessed

"I feel like I was blessed," added Engles. " A great family, growing up on SI it felt like a huge family, great coaches, great experiences in basketball. 

"I'm really fortunate people still remember me playing and I'm grateful for it," he added. 

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