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ALCS: Sox and ‘Stros Vie for Game 3

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BOSTON –  (Staff and Wire Services Reports and Preview Material – Boston’s DH J.D. Martinez and 3B Rafael Devers uncorked two grand samplings of power Saturday to lead the Red Sox and even their American League Championship Series with the Houston Astros at one game apiece. Tonight, the Red Sox return to Fenway Park with home field advantage and some serious momentum on their side as they host the Astros for a pivotal Game 3 in their best-of-seven showdown.

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Martinez and Devers became the first pair of teammates in MLB’s postseason history to hit Grand Slams in the same game, doing so in the first and second innings respectively of Boston’s decisive 9-5 win in Game 2 on Saturday at Houston. Boston cruised to the key win with a fourth-inning solo homer from Enrique “Kike” Hernandez, who continued his big to be the new “Mr. October” with a 2-for-4 performance to make him 16-for-32 (.500) with five home runs and nine RBIs through seven 2021 MLB Postseason games.

A career .242 hitter, Hernandez has an MLB-record 15 hits over his last five playoff games and became the first Red Sox batter to homer five times in five postseason games. He has already matched Todd Walker (2003) and former Sox DH David Ortiz (2004 and 2013) for the club record for home runs in a single postseason.

Already without injured ace Lance McCullers Jr., the Astros’ rotation took another blow in the form of an injury to Game 2 starter Luis Garcia. He exited after serving up the grand slam to Martinez, leaving potential Game 4 starter Jake Odorizzi to pitch in a surprise mop-up role.

“I was caught off guard by it. I think everybody was,” Odorizzi said. “I sucked up four innings. That’s the best way of putting it. Those can be crucial as we move forward in the series.”

Houston right-hander Jose Urquidy is set to make his postseason debut in a critical spot as he starts Game 3. The 26-year-old had been in line to start Game 4 of the team’s AL Division Series against the Chicago White Sox before it was rained out. Urquidy went 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA over 20 starts in the regular season. In his postseason career, he is 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in eight appearances (four starts).

Boston will counter with left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (0-1, 5.40 ERA). The 28-year-old went winless in two playoff starts against Tampa Bay in the ALDS and is 0-1 with a 7.02 ERA in 10 career postseason games (three starts).

Rodriguez struggled in two regular-season starts against Houston as he went 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA in 9 1/3 innings. Overall, Rodriguez is 1-3 with an 8.53 ERA in six career starts against the Astros.

The Urquidy-Rodriguez duel has led to a relatively high (for postseason) Over/Under of 9.0 runs at DraftKings. Then, there’s the Fenway Park factor, as well.  Game 3 will mark the first of three ALCS games to be played at The Fens, a band-box for run scoring, especially if the New England winds kick in.

HoopHall: Bob Cousy Award Watch List

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SPRINGFIELD – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame tipped-off the 2021-22 college basketball season with its annual unveiling of the watch list for the 2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 19th year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

“The Hall of Fame is honored to present the Bob Cousy Award to the best point guard in the collegiate game for the 19th consecutive year,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This year’s class of outstanding student-athletes truly embody the spirit and passion of the game, and we know the fans can’t wait for the season to get started. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will allow fans to support their favorite players throughout the season and will ultimately play a role in determining the winners of these prestigious awards. We greatly appreciate the support of Dell Technologies, the fans, our selection committee and the namesake of the award, Mr. Bob Cousy.”

Bob Cousy played for Holy Cross from 1946-1950 winning an NCAA Championship in 1947. He was named a Consensus First-Team All-American in 1950. His success continued at the professional level as a six-time NBA Champion (1957, 1959-1963), NBA Most Valuable Player (1957) and 13-time NBA All-Star (1951-63). In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just 5. In March the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.

2022 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*

Jahvon Quinerly Alabama
Antoine Davis Detroit
Jeremy Roach Duke
Andrew Nembhard Gonzaga
Andre Curbelo Illinois
Remy Martin Kansas
Sahvir Wheeler Kentucky
DeVante’ Jones Michigan
Caleb Love North Carolina
Max Abmas Oral Roberts
Will Richardson Oregon
Kendric Davis SMU
Kyle Lofton St. Bonaventure
Kennedy Chandler Tennessee
Marcus Carr Texas
Tyger Campbell UCLA
Scotty Pippen Jr. Vanderbilt
Collin Gillespie Villanova
Kihei Clark Virginia
Paul Scruggs Xavier

At #NBA75, They Made NBA Come Alive

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By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – The last two columns were dedicated to one reporter’s viewpoint on the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players. Many a basketball pundit will be coming forth with their own lists before the league unveils the official “75” this week (October 19-21). It’ll be great.

Meanwhile, our friends at the Sports Business Journal did a “Fan-Tastic” job at listing their view on “The NBA at 75: 75 People Who Grew the NBA’s Business.” It was a great idea and, while they went a bit heavy on sports agents, they nailed a bunch of true gems in listing colleagues (Val Ackerman, Ski Austin, Kathy Behrens, Wayne Embry, and, yes, agent and the NBA Players Association’s first executive director Larry Fleisher).

I was very happy to see Michael Goldberg, (my NBA boss) Brian McIntyre, NBA colleagues Amy Brooks, Russ Granik, Paula Hanson – with a tip of the hat to the NBA’s first-ever head of (Team Business Operations aka Team Services, Team-Bo) Bob King, too – Bill Koenig, Sal LaRocca, Joel Litvin, Jeff Mishkin, Rod Thorn, and Rick Welts). Of course, the list included “must-haves” and rightfully so with former Commissioners Maurice Podoloff, Walter Kennedy, Larry O’Brien and – the big guy – David Stern.

Stern’s transition to pass the business torch and mission along to current Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commish Mark Tatum was also duly recognized in the SBJs terrific listing.

That said and recognizing they only had 75 slots and maybe tossed 10 turnovers, they did miss a few people from a list that could’ve been 750 instead of only 75. Here are a few to consider:

Amongst the players named, I would nominate players who truly changed the game. They are:

  1. George Mikan
  2. Wilt Chamberlain
  3. Bill Russell
  4. Elgin Baylor
  5. Bob Cousy and Oscar Robertson
  6. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
  7. Julius Erving
  8. Larry/Earvin … aka Bird/Magic
  9. Michael Jordan
  10. Charles Barkley
  11. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant
  12. LeBron James
  13. Steph Curry

On the NBA business and outside the four lines basketball front, I think the SBJ missed out on:

  1. Si Gourdine
  2. Joe Axelson (the NBA’s first VO, Basketball Operations)
  3. Matt Winick (Axelson’s first deputy and incredible NBA resource)
  4. Paul Gilbert (the creator of NBA … It’s Fan-Tastic!)
  5. Leah Wilcox (possibly the NBA’s most valuable resource with its players)
  6. Satch Sanders (first Director of Player Programs)
  7. Ed Desser (NBA Director of Broadcasting and television guru)
  8. Bill Marshall (the creator and father of NBA consumer products)
  9. Boris Stankovic (the late FIBA exec who worked hand-in-hand with NBA)
  10. The Basketball w/o Borders crew of: Kim Bohuny, Bret MacTavish, Helen Wong (my former assistant/director), FIBA’s Zoran Radovic, former NBA scout/Nike rep Rich Sheubrooks and the UN’s (now President of Ripon College) Zach Messetti.

Surely, there are hundreds of others that could be listed, including many colleagues who ventured to the likes of Hong Kong, other points in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America to spread the NBA gospel and business efforts.

Lastly, on the TV front, there were a number of omissions and I’ll list just a few:

  1. Sandy Grossman (CBS Sports Director)
  2. Ted Shaker (Exec Producer of CBS Sports as NBA came of age on broadcast TV)
  3. Mike Burks (Lead producer of the NBA on CBS)
  4. Dick Stockton and Tommy Heinsohn – (CBS Sports NBA announce team)
  5. Tommy Roy (Lead producer of the NBA on NBC)
  6. Ernie Johnson Jr. (NBA on TNT anchor, and possibly the No. 1 person overlooked by the SBJ NBA 75 Business list). Ernie, Kenny and Charles impacted the NBA on TNT more than any other and a legion of TBS, TNT “people in the truck” did as much for the NBA as any person listed here.

There are plenty more, but let’s call it a wrap and tip-off the NBA 75 this week.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: It’s the year of a once in a 100 years global pandemic, right? In 2021, somehow the firm of Goldman Sachs has its best year in its history after only nine months, according to Front Office Sports reviews of Goldman’s latest earnings reports. … Goldman generated $13.61 billion in Q-3 and $46.7 billion in its last three quarters … FOS wrote: “Goldman is also helping the NFL find investment partners for its major media assets, including the NFL Network, RedZone, and NFL.com. … “After hiring Goldman, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly told league staff in a memo that the league plans to leverage live games, events like the NFL Draft, and opportunities around sports betting. In April, Goldman Sachs estimated that the sports betting market could reach $39 billion by 2033.”

Go figure.

Bruins Extend Defenseman McAvoy

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – Boston General Manager Don Sweeney signed Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy to an eight-year contract extension with an annual NHL cap hit of $9.5 million.

McAvoy, 23, played in 51 games with Boston in 2020-21, recording five goals and 25 assists for 30 points and a plus-22 rating to lead all Bruins defenseman. In 11 playoff games, McAvoy recorded one goal and 11 assists for 12 points. His 12 points tied with Brad Marchand for second on the team in playoff scoring, trailing only David Pastrnak.

Following the season, McAvoy finished fifth in the voting for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman.

The Long Beach, NY native has appeared in 235 career NHL games with Boston, totaling 24 goals and 98 assists for 122 points. In 65 career playoff games with the Bruins, McAvoy has recorded five goals and 27 assists for 32 points. Since entering the league in 2017, McAvoy ranks second among all defenseman in plus-minus with a plus-80 rating.  McAvoy was originally selected by Boston in the first round (14th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

NBA to Name NBA 75 on October 19-21

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NEW YORK – (Source: Official NBA News Release) – The National Basketball Association will unveil its 75th Anniversary Team, comprised of the 75 greatest players in league history, during special editions of TNT’s NBA Tip-Off, presented by CarMax and ESPN’s NBA Today from Tuesday, Oct. 19 through Thursday, Oct. 21.

Twenty-five members of the team, representing a cross section of positions and eras from throughout the NBA’s rich history, will be announced on each of the three days.  The team is being selected by a blue-ribbon panel of media and current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives.

TNT will begin the unveiling of the 75th Anniversary Team on Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. ET during an extended edition ofNBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax with the Sports Emmy Award-winning studio team of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.  The 90-minute pregame show will air prior to the network’s opening-night doubleheader featuring the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks hosting the Brooklyn Nets (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Golden State Warriors visiting the Los Angeles Lakers (10 p.m. ET).

ESPN will take over the honors on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 3 p.m. ET when it announces 25 more members of the team duringNBA Today, the network’s new daily 60-minute NBA show hosted by Malika Andrews, ahead of its season-opening doubleheader with the Boston Celtics facing the New York Knicks (7:30 p.m. ET) and the Denver Nuggets taking on the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET).

The final 25 members of the team will be revealed on TNT’s NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. ET, in advance of the network’s presentation of the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET) and the LA Clippers vs. the Warriors (10 p.m. ET).

As part of “NBA 75,” the league’s celebration of its landmark 75th Anniversary Season, the NBA selected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler, Magic Johnson, Bob Pettit and Oscar Robertson, as well as 14-time NBA All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, to serve as ambassadors for the 2021-22 season.  Representing different eras of the league’s history, the ambassadors will make appearances throughout the 75th Anniversary Season and have a significant presence at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.

Boston’s Training Camp Roster

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BOSTON – (Source: Official Team News Release) – The Boston Celtics announced today that they have signed guards Ryan Arcidiacono, Garrison Mathews, and Theo Pinson, and forward Juwan Morgan, finalizing the team’s 20-player roster that includes nine returning players, three NBA All-Stars, and one first-year player.

Arcidiacono (6-3, 195), 27, joins the Celtics after previously spending his first four NBA seasons with the Bulls from 2017-18 to 2020-21. The four-year Villanova standout produced 4.8 points (43.1% FG, 37.3% 3-PT, 80.7% FT), 2.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 17.6 minutes in 207 games (36 starts) with Chicago, while shooting at least 37.0% from beyond the arc in each of his last three seasons. Arcidiacono has made at least three 3-point field goals in 14 games over the past three years, including a career-best five threes at Milwaukee on Nov. 28, 2018.

Mathews (6-5, 215), 24, has averaged 5.5 points (41.3% FG, 38.9% 3-PT, 89.1% FT), 1.4 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 15.4 minutes in 82 career games (24 starts) over two NBA seasons with the Wizards. The Franklin, Tennessee native played in 64 of the team’s 72 games in 2020-21, producing 5.5 points on 40.9% shooting (38.4% 3-PT). He notched five games of 15+ points, including a season-high 22-point performance on 6-of-12 shooting (4-7 3-PT) against Miami on Jan. 9.

Pinson (6-5, 212), 25, has played in parts of three NBA seasons with Brooklyn and New York from 2018-19 to 2020-21, averaging 3.0 points (30.0% FG, 89.5% FT), 1.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 9.0 minutes in 68 career games. Pinson also spent time in the G League with the Long Island Nets between 2018-19 and 2019-20, where he produced 19.6 points (44.2% FG, 38.4% 3-PT, 82.9% FT), 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 34.8 minutes in 43 games (all starts).

Morgan (6-7, 232), 24, has played in 50 games over two NBA seasons with the Jazz, shooting 51.8% on 56 field goal attempts (1.4 ppg), while averaging 1.1 rebounds. A native of Waynesville, Missouri, Morgan also played in 15 games with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League in 2019-20, producing 14.3 points on 60.1% shooting, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 blocked shots.

The Celtics’ current  20-player roster features nine returners from the 2020-21 season, including a pair of 2021 NBA All-Stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and the team’s longest-tenured player in guard Marcus Smart.

Five-time All-Star and 14-year NBA veteran Al Horford rejoins the Celtics, after having previously played in Boston from 2016-17 through 2018-19. He joins an experienced group of newcomers, which include veteran guards Josh Richardson and Dennis Schröder, forward Juancho Hernangomez and center Enes Kanter.

Boston opens preseason action against the Magic at TD Garden on Oct. 4, its first of four preseason contests.

BIG EAST Releases 2021-22 Schedule

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NEW YORK – (Source: Official News Release) – The BIG EAST Conference announced its 2021-22 men’s basketball schedule today with dates and matchups. Tipoff times and television designations will be announced at a later date. The conference will play a 110-game regular-season schedule with all 11 teams playing 20 league games in a double round-robin format. League play begins on Friday, December 17, with Villanova at Creighton. The Wildcats and Bluejays are the two BIG EAST teams that advanced the farthest in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Both squads advanced to the Sweet 16 round.

The regular season ends on Saturday, March 5, with 10 of the 11 teams in action. The matchups are: Villanova at Butler, DePaul at Connecticut, Seton Hall at Creighton, Georgetown at Xavier and St. John’s at Marquette.

The BIG EAST Tournament Presented by Jeep will be played in Madison Square Garden for the 40th consecutive year. It is the longest running postseason championship in college basketball at the same venue. The dates of the 2022 tourney are March 9-12.

2021-22 Conference Schedule

Friday, December 17
Villanova at Creighton

Saturday, December 18
Providence at Connecticut
Marquette at Xavier

Monday, December 20
St. John’s at Seton Hall
Creighton at DePaul

Tuesday, December 21
Xavier at Villanova
Connecticut at Marquette

Wednesday, December 22
Georgetown at Providence

Thursday, December 23
Butler at St. John’s
Seton Hall at DePaul

Tuesday, December 28
Connecticut at Xavier
Georgetown at Creighton

Wednesday, December 29
Marquette at St. John’s
Seton Hall at Providence
DePaul at Butler

Saturday, January 1
St. John’s at Georgetown
Villanova at Seton Hall
Butler at Connecticut
Providence at DePaul
Creighton at Marquette

Tuesday, January 4
Seton Hall at Butler
Xavier at Georgetown
Providence at Marquette

Wednesday, January 5
DePaul at St. John’s
Creighton at Villanova

Friday, January 7
Xavier at Butler
Marquette at Georgetown

Saturday, January 8
Villanova at DePaul
St. John’s at Providence
Connecticut at Seton Hall

Tuesday, January 11
Providence at Creighton
DePaul at Marquette

Wednesday, January 12
St. John’s at Connecticut
Villanova at Xavier

Thursday, January 13
Butler at Georgetown

Saturday, January 15
Creighton at Xavier
Connecticut at Providence
Seton Hall at Marquette

Sunday, January 16
Georgetown at St. John’s (MSG)
Butler at Villanova (WF)

Tuesday, January 18
Providence at Seton Hall

Wednesday, January 19
St. John’s at Creighton
Xavier at DePaul
Marquette at Villanova

Thursday, January 20
Connecticut at Butler

Saturday, January 22
Seton Hall at St. John’s (MSG)
Villanova at Georgetown
DePaul at Creighton

Sunday, January 23
Butler at Providence
Xavier at Marquette

Tuesday, January 25
DePaul at Villanova
Georgetown at Connecticut

Wednesday, January 26
Marquette at Seton Hall
Creighton at Butler
Providence at Xavier

Saturday, January 29
Georgetown at Butler
Marquette at Providence
Xavier at Creighton
Connecticut at DePaul
St. John’s at Villanova

Tuesday, February 1
Creighton at Connecticut
Seton Hall at Georgetown
Providence at St. John’s

Wednesday, February 2
Villanova at Marquette
Butler at Xavier

Friday, February 4
Creighton at Seton Hall

Saturday, February 5
Connecticut at Villanova (WF)
St. John’s at Butler
DePaul at Xavier

Sunday, February 6
Providence at Georgetown

Tuesday, February 8
Villanova at St. John’s (MSG)
Marquette at Connecticut
Butler at Creighton

Wednesday, February 9
Xavier at Seton Hall
Georgetown at DePaul

Saturday, February 12
Creighton at Georgetown
Seton Hall at Villanova (WF)
Marquette at Butler
DePaul at Providence

Sunday, February 13
Connecticut at St. John’s (MSG)

Tuesday, February 15
Villanova at Providence
Butler at DePaul

Wednesday, February 16
Seton Hall at Connecticut
St. John’s at Xavier
Georgetown at Marquette

Saturday, February 19
Xavier at Connecticut
DePaul at Seton Hall
Georgetown at Villanova

Sunday, February 20
Providence at Butler
Marquette at Creighton

Tuesday, February 22
Villanova at Connecticut

Wednesday, February 23
Xavier at Providence
Creighton at St. John’s
Butler at Seton Hall

Thursday, February 24
DePaul at Georgetown

Saturday, February 26
Creighton at Providence
Seton Hall at Xavier
Butler at Marquette

Sunday, February 27
Connecticut at Georgetown
St. John’s at DePaul

Tuesday, March 1
Providence at Villanova

Wednesday, March 2
Xavier at St. John’s
Georgetown at Seton Hall
Connecticut at Creighton
Marquette at DePaul

Saturday, March 5
Villanova at Butler
DePaul at Connecticut
Seton Hall at Creighton
Georgetown at Xavier
St. John’s at Marquette

CA – Carnesecca Arena, MSG – Madison Square Garden, WF – Wells Fargo Center

The BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden
March 9 First Round Tripleheader
March 10 Quarterfinal Doubleheader
Quarterfinal Doubleheader
March 11 Semifinal Doubleheader
March 12 Championship Game

NBA Today to Debut on ESPN in October

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BRISTOL, CT – (Staff, Wire Service and Official News Release reporting) – On the eve of the upcoming regular season, a new show, “NBA Today,” an hour-long panel discussion show, will debut on ESPN this October 18. Malika Andrews will host “NBA Today,” joined by network NBA analysts Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike and Vince Carter along with ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe. Various ESPN network and ESPN.com basketball reporters will join the show when appropriate. The show will air weekdays from 3-4 ET.

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“NBA Today” replaces “The Jump,” which ESPN canceled amid controversy surrounding host and longtime basketball reporter Rachel Nichols involving comments she made about former colleague Maria Taylor.

Andrews, 26, joined the network in 2018 and has seen an increasingly visible role in ESPN’s coverage of the NBA. ESPN said Monday her new role is part of a multiyear contract extension, but details were not disclosed. Taylor left ESPN for a multi-million dollar deal at NBC Sports.

Celtics Round-Out Coaching Staff

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BOSTON – (Source: Official team news release) – The Boston Celtics announced that Will Hardy, Damon Stoudamire, Ben Sullivan, Joe Mazzulla, Aaron Miles, and Tony Dobbins will serve as assistant coaches on first-year head coach Ime Udoka’s staff. Evan Bradds, Garrett Jackson, DJ MacLeay, and Steve Tchiengang have been named to the team’s player enhancement staff, while Matt Reynolds will serve as a special assistant to Udoka. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

Hardy joins Boston’s coaching staff after spending the last six seasons as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs from 2015-16 to 2020-21. The Williams College graduate has spent each of the last 11 seasons with San Antonio since joining on as a basketball operations intern in 2010, including a two-year stint as the Spurs video coordinator from 2013-15. Hardy served on the coaching staff during Team USA’s gold medal run at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. He was also tabbed as San Antonio’s summer league head coach in Las Vegas in 2017 and 2018, as well as serving as the team’s head coach during the Utah summer league from 2015-18.

Stoudamire spent the last five seasons at the University of Pacific after being named the head coach of the men’s basketball team on March 16, 2016. He led Pacific to a 23-10 finish in 2019-20 – the program’s best mark since 2012-13 – en route to being named both the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year, given annually to the top minority coach at the Division I level. Stoudamire previously worked as an assistant coach at the University of Memphis (2011-13; 2015-16), the University of Arizona (2013-15), and in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2009-2011.

A 13-year NBA point guard, Stoudamire played in 878 career games (793 starts) with the Toronto Raptors, Portland Trail Blazers, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs. He was named the league’s Rookie of the Year and was selected to the All-Rookie First Team in 1995-96 after being selected by Toronto with the seventh overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.

Sullivan joins the Celtics after winning an NBA Championship in his third season as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He has seven seasons of experience as an assistant coach in the NBA, including a four-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Prior to his time in Milwaukee and Atlanta, Sullivan served as an assistant video coordinator with San Antonio while also working in its basketball development department.

Mazzulla returns for his third year as an assistant coach after originally joining the organization prior to the 2019-20 season. The Rhode Island native most recently served as Boston’s head coach throughout the 2021 Las Vegas Summer League, guiding the Celtics to a 4-1 record and an appearance in the championship game. Mazzulla previously spent two seasons as the head coach of the men’s basketball team at Fairmont State University (2017-19), guiding the Falcons to a 43-17 overall record, and an NCAA Tournament bid in his second and final year.

Miles spent the last two seasons as a player development coach with the Golden State Warriors, after serving as the head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors – Golden State’s G League affiliate – for two seasons from 2017-18 to 2018-19. The native Oregonian led Santa Cruz to a 57-43 record in his two seasons at the helm, including a 34-16 mark and trip to the G League Western Conference Finals in 2018-19. Miles played 10 seasons of professional basketball, eight of which came overseas, after a decorated collegiate career at Kansas in which he netted two All-Big 12 Third Team selections.

Dobbins begins his second season as an assistant coach with the Celtics after spending the previous two years as the team’s video coordinator. A native of Washington, D.C., Dobbins played a combined 13 years of professional basketball across Europe and the NBA G League. He was named the French Pro A’s Best Defensive Player three times (2009, 2013, 2014), won two French Cup championships (2010, 2015), and a G League title with the Asheville Altitude in 2005.

BOSTON CELTICS COACHING STAFF

Head coach: Ime Udoka (Portland State)
Assistant coaches: Will Hardy (Williams College), Damon Stoudamire (Arizona), Ben Sullivan (Portland), Joe Mazzulla (West Virginia), Aaron Miles (Kansas), Tony Dobbins (Richmond)
Player enhancement staff: Evan Bradds (Belmont), Garrett Jackson (Saint Mary’s), DJ MacLeay (Bucknell), Steve Tchiengang (Vanderbilt)
Special assistant to head coach: Matt Reynolds (Syracuse)

Celtics Finalize Deal for Juancho Hernangómez

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BOSTON – The Boston Celtics acquired forward Juancho Hernangómez from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for guards Kris Dunn and Carsen Edwards, and the right to swap second round draft picks in 2026. Hernangómez, 25, holds career averages of 5.7 points on 43.0% shooting (35.1% 3-PT, 69.3% FT), 3.5 rebounds, and 16.4 minutes in 257 games (57 starts) with Denver and Minnesota. The five-year pro was originally selected by the Nuggets with the 15th overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft.

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Hernangómez (first player on right) for Spain

In 52 games with the Timberwolves in 2020-21, Hernangómez produced a career-high 7.2 points on 43.5% shooting (32.7% 3-PT) to go along with 3.9 rebounds, and 17.3 minutes. He reached the 20-point mark twice, including a season-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting (5-8 3-PT) at Denver on Jan. 5, and scored at least 15 points on seven occasions.

Edwards played in 68 games over two seasons with the Celtics after being selected in the second round (33rd overall) of the 2019 NBA Draft, averaging 3.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 9.2 minutes. Dunn was acquired by Boston as part of a three-team deal earlier this offseason on Aug. 7.

As part of the transaction, Memphis will own the right to swap a 2026 second round draft pick (the better of Miami’s or Dallas’s) with Boston’s 2026 second round draft pick.