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Brown, Tatum Named NBA All-Stars

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ATLANTA – (Official News Release) – Boston Celtics forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have both been named Eastern Conference All-Stars, the league announced today. It is the first career All-Star selection for Brown, and the second consecutive All-Star honor for Tatum, as the duo becomes the second pair of Celtics teammates to both receive All-Star honors prior to the age of 25 (Cousy/Macauley, 1953).

Brown, 24, has produced a career-high 25.5 points, to go along with 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.5 blocked shots, and 33.7 minutes in 28 games (all starts) this season. The Marietta, Ga. native has also recorded high marks in shooting from the field (49.7%), beyond the arc (40.9%), and from the free throw line (76.6%), and is one of five NBA players averaging 25.0 points while shooting at least 49.0% from the field and 40.0% on three-point field goal attempts in 2020-21.

In addition to increasing his previous career scoring high by over 5.0 points per game (20.3 ppg; 2019-20), Brown has already matched his career high of six 30-point games through his first 28 contests this season. He has produced the two highest scoring totals by any Celtics player in 2020-21, both of which were career-high 42-point outputs against Memphis on Dec. 30, and at Philadelphia on Jan. 22.

In 25 games played this season (all starts), Tatum has posted career highs in points (26.0 ppg), rebounds (7.1 rpg), and assists (4.6 apg), while leading the team with five double-doubles and eight 30-point games. The fourth-year forward is one of four NBA players averaging 26.0 points and 7.0 rebounds, while shooting at least 39.0% from beyond the arc this season.

Tatum opened the 2021 calendar year with 13 consecutive games of 20+ points and 4+ rebounds, good for the longest such streak by any Celtics player since Paul Pierce in 2002-03. He was rewarded with his second career Eastern Conference Player of the Week honor on Jan. 11, after producing 33.0 points on 52.2% shooting (52.0% 3-PT), 5.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists during an undefeated three-game week from Jan. 4-10.

This is the second career All-Star selection for Tatum, who last year became the second-youngest Celtics player selected to an All-Star Game (Antoine Walker – 21y, 180d).

 

Deserving a Second Chance

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By TERRY LYONS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

BOSTON – Who amongst us, doesn’t deserve a second chance?

During the 1980s, NBA All-Star guard Michael Ray Richardson was thrown-out of the league for failing to adhere to the NBA’s anti-drug program but was later given another chance. A decade later, Richardson thanked the late David Stern who as Commissioner of the NBA was credited by the wayward star for saving his life by providing the tough love, then rehabilitation from a serious drug problem.

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In the ‘70s and ‘80s, substance abuse problems and the need for second chances became common place, unfortunately. New York Mets stars Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry each fell into drug dependency and abuse asa they were being built up by Mets fans as long-awaited superstars. They were given second chances by Baseball and New York fans and turned it around.

Former Celtics guard Chris Herren falls into the same category and now counsels youth against the pitfalls of substance abuse, as does basketball’s Vin Baker, who admitted to his fight against alcoholism and worked his way back, first taking a job as an assistant high school basketball coach in Connecticut in 2014. Afterward, he worked as a Starbucks coffee store manager in 2015, and now is back in the pros, working as an assistant coach with one of his former NBA teams, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Not all stories of rebounding for a second chance stem from drugs or alcohol abuse. Olympic speed-skater Dan Jansen was primed for possible medal contention in the 500 and 1,000 meter speed skating races at the 1988 Winter Olympics when – on the day of the 500 meter event – he received a call from his family home in Wisconsin that his 27-year old sister (Jane Marie Beres) was dying from leukemia.

Jansen attempted to speak with his sister by phone, but she was not able to respond. He was later informed of her death and he tried to compete but fell in the 500, distraught. Four days later, in the 1,000 he began with record-breaking speed only to fall again. Jansen left the ‘88 Games in Calgary with no medals and found himself unable to medal at the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville.

Jansen made good on his third chance, when he trained and won a World Championship in 1993 then took the gold in the 1,000 at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer in one of the most heartwarming and remarkable stories of USA Olympic Games history.

Again, along the lines of the remarkable is the story of Seabiscuit, one of the greatest thoroughbred race horses of all-time.

“In 1938, the year’s No. 1 newsmaker was not FDR, Hitler, or Mussolini. Nor was it Lou Gehrig or Clark Gable. The subject of the most newspaper column inches in 1938 wasn’t even a person. It was an undersized, crooked-legged racehorse named Seabiscuit,” wrote Laura Hillenbrand in Seabiscuit, An American Legend.

In 2003, Seabiscuit’s story was transformed into an Academy Award nominated film (Best Picture), based on the best-selling book by Hillenbrand. Directed by Gary Ross and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, among others, Seabiscuit is in my personal Top 3 and it is my No. 1 favorite “sports” motion picture of all-time.

As we’re delving into “second chances,” Seabiscuit leads the pack when you study the true-life story of an undersized and overlooked thoroughbred whose unexpected success made him “the people’s favorite” and a true sign of hope for the masses in the USA during the Great Depression.

Seabiscuit is also the story of how three men — Charles Howard, Tom Smith, and Red Pollard — overcome personal limitations, demons, and tragedies, as well as economic hard times to bring about Seabiscuit’s thrilling and inspiring victories. The horse was sold to Howard for $8,000 at a Saratoga auction after being trained to lose to would-be greater racehorses. And, lose he did to the point where he was disregarded and discarded.

“You don’t throw a whole life away because he’s banged up a little,” Seabiscuit’s owner Charles Howard said, echoing Tom Smith, then adding later: “Sometimes all somebody needs is a second chance. A lot of people out there know what I mean.”

“You know, everybody thinks we found this broken-down horse and fixed him,” said Pollard, the over-sized jockey played by Tobey Maguire in the film. “But we didn’t. He fixed us; every one of us. And I guess in a way, we kinda fixed each other too.”

That brings us to the 2021 Boston Red Sox baseball season and the second chance being provided to Sox Manager Alex Cora.

There’s “no rooting in the press box,” of course, but even “Tick Tock McLaughlin” would be making his “Lazarus of Bethany” references as it pertains to the vaunted Sox organization placing new trust in Cora after his dismissal and one-year suspension for his center stage effort in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

In January 2020, the Red Sox and Cora mutually agreed to parting ways after the Astros scandal cost the jobs of Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and team Manager A.J. Hinch. In the COVID-19 limited 2020 season Ron Roenickefilled in nicely for the Sox, but on November 6, 2020 – not long after Mookie Betts and the LA Dodgers were crowned World Champs – Cora was re-hired and signed to a two-year contract by Boston.

While a 108-54 record with the Sox this season is not to be, Red Sox fans and the few veteran players left from the record-setting 2018 season will be supporting Cora in a big way.

The reason?

While Americans enjoy building up heroes then knocking them down, the story isn’t complete and a fan isn’t satisfied until that broken hero gets his/her second chance.

That’s the case this season with Cora and the Sox, although he must now help rebuild the club, rather than rejoice in 100+ wins alongside the likes of Betts, David “Big Papi” Ortiz, Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts.

See While We’re Young Ideas for a Year-Long subscription and our March Madness Rate.

NBA Mourns Sekou Smith

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BOSTON – Sunrise, sunset.

This week, the song written in 1964 by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick, came to mind after a Tuesday morning notification of the death of an extended family member was coupled with the wonderful birth of my newborn great niece, Quinn Willow McBurnie, all the perfect 7 lbs, 9 oz. of her.

But then, the sledgehammer fell, as the colleagues of the late Sekou Smith of NBA TV announced his death as they came “on air,” all visibly shaken from his sudden death. Two deaths from complications of COVID-19 and one wonderful birth, showing the circle of life in these challenging times.

The tributes to Sekou Smith came from every corner of the world and every bucket of the National Basketball Association. From Commissioner Silver’s heartfelt remarks to those of Sekou’s friends and colleagues.

“The NBA mourns the passing of Sekou Smith, a beloved member of the NBA family. Sekou was one of the most affable and dedicated reporters in the NBA and a terrific friend to so many across the league. He covered the game for more than two decades, including the past 11 years with Turner Sports, where he showed his full range of skills as an engaging television analyst, podcast host and writer. Sekou’s love of basketball was clear to everyone who knew him and it always shined through in his work. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Heather, and their children, Gabriel, Rielly and Cameron.”

The NBA’s head of basketball communications, Tim Frank – one of the more loyal and dedicated Notre Dame grads and fans you’d ever know, paid tribute to his Michigan rival with these words:

“You meet a lot of people in this business but I’m not sure you could find a better guy than Sekou Smith,” wrote Frank. “His smile, his laugh, his s%#*-talking about Michigan football, his slow walk, that look when he was getting ready to disagree with you. He was just a unique, incredible friend.

“I now cherish even more the time we got to spend this summer in the (NBA) Bubble (venue from this past summer competition in Orlando). I still chuckle at how cold he was in the arenas, because he came to Florida and brought nothing warm (to wear in the air conditioned venues)! And as usual, he just smiled and mocked himself as he sat there frigid.

“Everyone in the NBA knew Sekou and good luck finding anyone who didn’t love the guy. It just wasn’t possible to have a bad experience with him. Ok, except for when Michigan would beat Notre Dame and I would literally hear about it until the next time they played.

God bless Sekou’s family. Please just know how special he was and what he meant to so many people. He was simply an amazing human being.”

“Ok, Sekou, just for you, I’ll do it,” wrote Frank.  … “Go Blue”

Red Sox Personnel Moves

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BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox announced personnel moves in the Player Development department, as well as 2021 field staffs for their minor league affiliates.

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Ben Crockett has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations. Currently in his 15th year in the Red Sox organization, the Topsfield, MA native has worked as Vice President, Player Development (2016-20); Director, Player Development (2012-16); Assistant Director, Player Development (2010-11); and Advance Scouting Coordinator (2008-09) after spending 2007 as an intern in Baseball Operations. The Harvard University graduate was selected by the Red Sox in the 10th round of the 2001 June Draft, but he did not sign. The former right-handed pitcher spent five years in the Colorado Rockies organization (2002-06) after being selected by the club in the third round of the 2002 June Draft.

Brian Abraham has been promoted to Director, Player Development. The Worcester, MA native previously worked as Director, Minor League Operations (2018-20); Assistant Director, Player Development (2015-18); and Major League Staff Assistant (2013-14). Prior to joining the Red Sox organization, the College of the Holy Cross graduate and member of the baseball team spent six years with the Toronto Blue Jays (2007-12), primarily working in advance scouting and video operations on the Major League staff.

Chris Stasio has been promoted to Manager, Baseball Development. In January 2020 he was hired as Assistant Coordinator, Baseball Development, returning to the organization where he worked in player development and advance scouting roles in 2014, 2016, and 2017. The Northeastern University graduate began his career in baseball as an intern with the New York Mets in 2014 and most recently served as a professional scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 and 2019.

Harry Roberson has been hired as Coordinator, Player Development and will be involved in various player development programs while engaging with on-field staff, focusing on practice planning and skill development. The Amherst College graduate most recently worked in baseball operations for the Toronto Blue Jays (2019-20) following a season as Hitting Coach for Eastern Connecticut State University (2019).

Shawn Haviland has been promoted to Senior Coordinator, Pitching, after spending the 2020 season as the organization’s Pitching Coordinator, Performance. The Middletown, CT native and graduate of Harvard University was originally hired by the club as Pitching Performance Coach prior to the 2019 season. A former right-handed pitcher, he played nine minor league seasons after being selected by Oakland in the 2008 June Draft, including two stints in the Red Sox organization with Triple-A Pawtucket in 2015 and 2017.

Julio Rangel has been hired as Pitching Coordinator, Performance. For the past two seasons, the Panama native served as the major league pitching coach for the Texas Rangers. Following a seven-year playing career in the New York Yankees minor league system (1994-2000), Rangel began his coaching career with the Tampa Yankees in 2001. He spent 11 years in the Cleveland system as a Cultural Development Coordinator (2007-08), Mental Skills Coordinator (2009-10), Lower Level Pitching Coordinator (2011-15), and Assistant Field Coordinator (2016-17). In 2018, Rangel served as the San Francisco Giants’ Minor League Pitching Coordinator.

Kirby Retzer has been promoted to Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. The Florida Gulf Coast University graduate is in his sixth season with the Red Sox organization, having spent the last two as a strength and conditioning coach with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox, also working with players on rehabilitation assignments.

Paddy Steinfort has been promoted to Senior Mental Skills Coordinator following two seasons as a mental skills coach with the organization. He has also spent time in similar roles with the United States Army (2019-present), Philadelphia 76ers (2018-20), Toronto Blue Jays (2016-18), and Philadelphia Eagles (2015-16).

Adan Severino has been promoted to Latin American Mental Skills Coordinator following three seasons as Mental Skills Coordinator (2018-20). Prior to his time with the Red Sox, he spent time as a behavioral health professional and correctional officer in the state of Florida. The University of Miami graduate played three seasons (2008-10) as an outfielder in the Minnesota Twins’ system and in the independent Frontier League.

Gabriela Alfonso joins the organization as Minor League Sports Dietician and will be based out of Fort Myers. In addition to other experiences in the industry, the Miami, FL native has spent time in athletics as a sports nutrition graduate assistant and nutritionist with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (2015-17).

Worcester (Triple-A, International League)

Billy McMillon enters his 14th season in the Red Sox organization, his third as Manager for the club’s Triple-A affiliate. The 2021 season will be his ninth as a minor league manager, having also served in that capacity for Single-A Greenville (2010-11), High-A Salem (2012-13), and Double-A Portland (2014-15). Bruce Crabbe will remain on the staff as an additional coach for the eighth consecutive season, extending his tenure with the organization to 17 years (2005-21). Rich Gedman will continue as the club’s hitting coach for his seventh year in that role and 11th with Red Sox minor league clubs. A Worcester native, Gedman was selected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2020.

Paul Abbott returns as Pitching Coach for the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate for the second consecutive season, his 11th in the organization. Abbott previously served as Pitching Coach for Short-A Lowell (2011-12), Single-A Greenville (2013-14), High-A Salem (2015-17), and Double-A Portland (2018-19). Michael Montville, hired prior to last season as an additional coach for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, joins Worcester in the same role. David Herrera enters his third season as Athletic Training Coordinator, his 14th with the organization (2008-21). Ben Chadwick joins Worcester as Strength and Conditioning Coach following two seasons in that role with Portland.

Portland (Double-A, Eastern League)

Corey Wimberly joins the Sea Dogs as Manager, having previously managed Short-A Lowell (2018) and High-A Salem (2019-20) as well as been a member of Greenville’s coaching staff (2017). In 2019, Wimberly led Salem to the Carolina League Northern Division title, as the club went a league-best 42-28 in the season’s second half. Lance Carter returns for his second season as Portland’s Pitching Coach. It will be his seventh season in the organization, having previously worked with Short-A Lowell (2015-17) and High-A Salem (2018-19). Lance Zawadzki also returns for his second season as Hitting Coach. He joined the organization with Lowell in 2018 before serving as Salem’s hitting coach in 2019.

Joining the Sea Dogs staff as an additional coach is Ako Thomas, who most recently spent time on the University of Michigan’s staff as Volunteer Assistant Coach (2020) following a four-year playing career with the Wolverines (2016-19). Entering his sixth season in the Red Sox’ system, Scott Gallon will continue as the Sea Dogs’ athletic trainer after moving into that role in 2017. Jeffrey Dolan joins Portland as Strength and Conditioning Coach, having most recently worked in a similar role with the Phoenix Suns (2019-20).

Greenville (High-A, Carolina League)

Iggy Suarez returns for a fourth season managing Greenville, marking his seventh season in the organization and his sixth as a minor league manager. Entering his 23nd year in the Red Sox organization, Bob Kipper will return as Greenville’s pitching coach, having also served in that role with the Drive from 2005-06, 2008-09, and 2018-20. Also returning to the Drive staff is Hitting Coach Nate Spears, who after serving as a coaching assistant with Greenville in 2016 spent four years as a hitting coach for Short-A Lowell (2017-20).

John Shelby III returns for his second season with the Drive coaching staff after joining the organization in 2020 following a stint as Assistant Baseball Coach at the University of Kentucky. Athletic Trainer Nick Kuchwara joins Greenville following time in the same role with High-A Salem (2016-20). Also joining the Greenville staff is Strength and Conditioning Coach Joe Hudson after two seasons in the same role for Salem (2019-20).

Salem (Single-A, South Atlantic League)

Luke Montz enters his first season managing Salem after serving in the same role for Short-A Lowell (2019-20) and serving as a coaching assistant for Double-A Portland (2018). In 2019, Montz led the Spinners to the Stedler Division title and a 42-34 record in the regular season. Veteran hitting coach Nelson Paulino will return to the staff in his 24th season coaching in the organization (1998-2021), having previously worked with Salem in 2013, from 2016-18, and in 2020. Nick Green, who joined the Red Sox organization in 2015 and most recently spent three seasons as Pitching Coach for Lowell (2018-20), joins the Salem staff to serve in that same role.

Frankie Rios, who played in the Red Sox system in 2017 and 2018, will join Salem’s staff as an additional coach after spending the 2020 season coaching in Portland. Bobby Stachura, who joined the organization as an intern in 2017, will serve as an athletic trainer following two seasons in that role with Single-A Greenville (2019-20). Michael Hernandez also joins Salem staff as Strength and Conditioning Coach after working with Greenville in 2020, his first season in the Red Sox organization.

Fort Myers Complex

Tom Kotchman will spend 2021 as a manager at the Fort Myers complex after spending seven seasons as manager of the Gulf Coast League Red Sox. Kotchman has spent 40 total seasons as a minor league manager and scout. Serving as a hitting coach in Fort Myers is Josh Prince, who joined the organization in 2020 as Hitting Coach for Single-A Greenville after spending the 2019 season as a player/coach for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the Atlantic League. Junior Zamora also will serve as a hitting coach, following six years in that capacity for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and seven years as a bench coach for the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Red Sox.

The Fort Myers complex will feature three pitching coaches, including Dick Such, a veteran of the Gulf Coast League. Brett Merrittwill also work at the complex after serving as a pitching coach for High-A Salem (2020) and the College of Central Florida (2018-19).Jason Blanton joins the organization, having previously worked as a pitching coach in the Cleveland Indians (2017-20) and Seattle Mariners (2014-15) systems.

Mickey Jiang, who has been coaching in the Red Sox’ system since 2009, returns as a coach and translator. Bianca Smith joins the organization as a coach at the Fort Myers complex after most recently serving as Assistant Athletic Director as well as Assistant Coach and Hitting Coordinator at Carroll University (WI). Smith, who has also spent time with the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers organizations, becomes the first African-American woman to coach in professional baseball history. Also joining the organization as a coach in Fort Myers is Chris Hess, who has spent time as Assistant Coach at the University of Rhode Island, his alma mater, following three seasons playing in the New York Yankees organization (2017-19). Hess also played for Hyannis of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2016.

Taylor Boucher will serve as Athletic Trainer following two seasons in that role with Short-A Lowell (2019-20). Richard De Luna, who joined the organization in 2018 as a minor league strength and conditioning coach after serving in the United States Marine Corps (2012-17), will serve as Strength and Conditioning Coach, a role he held with Greenville from 2019-20.

Dominican Republic Academy

Jose Zapata will return for his 15th season as the Red Sox’ Latin American field coordinator. Ozzie Chavez and Sandy Madera return as managers at the Dominican Republic Academy, after they both made managerial debuts in 2019. Madera’s first year working in the Red Sox organization was 2019, while Chavez began his coaching career in 2015 as a hitting coach for the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League Red Sox. Serving as hitting coaches at the academy will be Eider Torres, who joined the DSL Red Sox last season, and Danny Ortega, who has coached in the Los Angeles Angels (2018-19) and Houston Astros (2010-17) organizations, including a stint managing the Greeneville Astros in 2017.

Oscar Lira and Humberto Sanchez will continue as the academy’s pitching coaches, with Lira entering his 10th season in the role and Sanchez beginning his fourth. Also returning to the staff are Juan Hernandez, Claudio Sanchez, Carlos Vallejo, and Leonel Vazquezas additional coaches. Joining the academy as International Instructor is Amaury Garcia, after spending 12 years with the Washington Nationals organization, including serving as Hitting Coach for the Single-A Hagerstown Suns (2016-20). Garcia played in the Florida Marlins (1994-2000) and Chicago White Sox (2001) organizations, appearing in 10 major league games for the Marlins in 1999. Guillermo Hinojosa will return for his 12th season as athletic trainer, while Jharvyn Velazquez will return for his second. Antonio Diaz and Danny Gutierrez will resume their roles as strength and conditioning coaches at the academy.

2021 Boston College Football Schedule

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CHESTNUT HILL, MASS – (Official News Release) – Boston College and the Atlantic Coast Conference announced the 2021 football schedule. The BC Eagles play six home games at Alumni Stadium, including the first game of the season versus Colgate on Saturday, Sept. 4.

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Second-year head coach Jeff Hafley won more games than any other first-year Power Five coach a season ago as the Eagles bring back 19 starters in 2021.

The Eagles return 10 starters on offense, led by junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec and All-ACC wide receiver Zay Flowers. BC’s entire offensive line returns, including All-ACC selections Alec Lindstrom, Ben Petrula, Zion Johnsonand Tyler Vrabel up front.

On defense, BC welcomes back seven starters and 10 players that started multiple games a season ago including All-ACC defensive back Josh DeBerry.

The 2021 season begins at Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4 versus Colgate. It is the first meeting between the two schools.

Following the season opener at home, BC hits the road for a two-week stretch at Massachusetts on Sept. 11 and at Temple on Sept. 18.

The Eagles play in Amherst against the Minutemen for the first time since 1982. BC has won 10 straight in the series and is 22-5 all-time against UMass, including a 9-2 record away from home.

Old Big East foes reunite in Philadelphia as the Eagles play their first game at Lincoln Financial Field since 2004 on Sept. 18. The Eagles last played the Owls in 2018 and came away with a 45-35 victory in Chestnut Hill. All-time, BC is 29-7-2 against Temple, including a 10-4-1 mark in Philadelphia.

BC and Missouri meet for the first time on Sept. 25 as the two schools begin a home-and-home series. The Eagles return the visit to Missouri on Sept, 14, 2024. Missouri is the first SEC team to play at Alumni Stadium since Tennessee on Oct. 31, 1987.

In meetings that date back to 1937, Boston College is 13-19-1 all-time against the Southeastern Conference. The last time the Eagles faced an SEC opponent was in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31, 2008 against Vanderbilt.

ACC play begins on Saturday, Oct. 2 as BC visits defending ACC champion Clemson for the third consecutive season. Last season, BC lost 34-28 at No. 1 Clemson as the Tigers rallied from a 28-13 deficit. In a series that began in 1940, Boston College and Clemson meet for the 31st time with Clemson leading the series 19-9-2. For the 14th time, Boston College and Clemson play for the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy after the BC Gridiron Club established the award in 2008.

Following a week off, BC hosts NC State on Saturday, Oct. 16 as the two division foes square off for the first time since the Eagles’ 45-24 victory over the Wolfpack in 2019. All-time, BC is 10-7 against the Wolfpack, including a 7-3 record at Alumni Stadium.

Another two-game road swing follows as the Eagles travel to Louisville on October 23 and visit Syracuse for the third straight season on October 30.

Last season, BC captured a 34-27 victory over the Cardinals at Alumni Stadium. In 13 all-time meetings, Louisville leads the series 7-6, but BC has won three of the previous four games.

Boston College won 16-13 inside the Carrier Dome last season. Syracuse leads the all-time series 32-22, including a 20-9 advantage in Syracuse. BC has won three straight games in the Carrier Dome for the first time in series history.

The only Friday night game of the season features an old rival as Virginia Tech travels to Chestnut Hill on November 5. The Hokies defeated BC last season in Blacksburg as they lead the all-time series 19-10. The last time Virginia Tech played at Alumni Stadium, BC opened the 2019 season with a 35-28 victory.

The final road game of the year features BC’s first trip to Georgia Tech since 2007 as the Eagles and Yellow Jackets meet for the second straight season. In 2020, BC rolled to a 48-27 win at home over Georgia Tech. The Eagles are 3-7 all-time against the Yellow Jackets, including a 2-3 mark in Atlanta.

Boston College closes out the regular season with two home games as Florida State comes to the Heights on November 20 and Wake Forest visits on November 27. The Eagles did not play either division opponent last season.

FSU leads the all-time series 13-5 while the Eagles hold a 14-11-2 series lead against the Demon Deacons.

Season tickets will go on sale for the 2021 season starting on Thursday, Feb. 4 on BCEagles.com or by calling 617-552-4622 (GOBC). Kickoff times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

2021 Boston College Football Schedule
Sat., Sept. 4                  Colgate
Sat., Sept. 11                at Massachusetts
Sat., Sept. 18                at Temple
Sat., Sept. 25                Missouri
Sat., Oct. 2                    at Clemson*
Sat., Oct. 16                  NC State*
Sat., Oct. 23                  at Louisville*
Sat., Oct. 30                  at Syracuse*
Fri., Nov. 5                    Virginia Tech*
Sat., Nov. 13                  at Georgia Tech*
Sat., Nov. 20                 Florida State*
Sat., Nov. 27                 Wake Forest*

*Denotes ACC game | Home games at Alumni Stadium in bold

Pride and Joy: New Celtics Coach a Family Man

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Boston Celtics Pride & Joy: New Coach Brad Stevens a Family Man

By TERRY LYONS, Editor

WALTHAM – The formalities were already covered by a series of phone calls between Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens. It was time to sit down and finalize a deal to make Stevens the 17th head coach to walk the sidelines for the storied National Basketball Association franchise. Not a soul outside of the organization was aware of the breakfast meeting at Stevens’ mother’s house in Indiana, a setting that would make the casting directors and set designers for the motion picture Hoosiers marvel in creative vision. The deal breaker was going to be the Celtics’ ability to put Stevens and his family at ease with the daunting task and unfathomable opportunity being proposed to the young coach, the most successful coach in the history of tiny Butler University.

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Stevens’ mother’s shitzu poodle, Mack, greeted Ainge and the Celtics hierarchy at the garage door. Then, with the snuff test administered by the 10-pound pooch successfully passed, the deal-making could unfold with the negotiating at a dining room table in a setting right out of Americana, in the hotbed of hoops in the Hoosier State where basketball is indeed a religion. Ainge, along with minority team owner Stephen Pagliuca and Managing Partner Wyc Grousbeck, gathered around the table covered with plastic to protect young Brady and Kingsley’s grandmother Jan’s furniture from the kids’ arts and crafts projects

Believe it or not, before the job opportunity came along and before the phone rang and Ainge was asking Stevens if he’d be interested in succeeding Doc Rivers, the Stevens family’s belongings were already all packed up and in storage, not because they envisioned a change of employers, but simply because they were trying to find the right home to settle down and raise two wonderful children right smack in America’s heartland.

“It’s really comical, and you have to be able to laugh at yourself,” said Tracy, sincerely happy that their challenging real estate ventures were the subject of questioning instead of her viewpoint on x’s and o’s or the trials and tribulations of life as a coach’s wife. “We had purchased a house in Carmel, Indiana a couple of years ago and immediately knew it just wasn’t the right fit, she explained. “We tried to sell it for about a year and we hadn’t received any offers. So, we finally get an offer, and we sold it and had to get out fairly quickly. We’ve been looking for a place and – this time – we didn’t want to make the wrong choice in buying a new house. We were hoping to find a place quickly but it wasn’t working out, so we decided to put all of stuff in storage and move in with Brad’s mom. It was only going to be a few weeks, as we had (Butler University) basketball camp and Brad was going to be gone a lot in July, recruiting.

“The call comes in on a day when we’d just looked at two houses and we both agreed they weren’t the right fit.” she elaborated. “To me, it was a little bit of a ‘sign,’ as we still hadn’t found a home and, maybe, this is something we should really think about. When it came time to meet, we met at Brad’s Mom’s house and they came in, walked through the garage and the dog is barking,” she laughed.

“Then, right in the middle of the meeting, my cell phone kept ringing multiple times, which sometimes means something is wrong,” she recounted. “I looked at it and it was one of the basketball secretaries at Butler where we had 160 campers. She was calling to say a construction crew had turned off the water and while they had some running water, the restrooms were not working! So I had to excuse myself from the meeting, but when I came back, Brad said “I think I’m going to do it,” and I said, ‘Okay!”

The rest is history, and you can call it Celtics lore or maybe even Celtics “lure.”

Amidst pure fate, some scrambled-up living arrangements and real-world issues like the timing and feel to sign on the dotted line for a longterm real estate move, — never mind the ill-timed plumbing failures — the fade-to-black background story that brought Ainge and Stevens together at this crucial moment in Boston Celtics franchise history actually began at the 2010 NCAA Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. The former NCAA star from Brigham Young University and two-time NBA champion as a Celtics point guard sat with Pagliuca, a Duke University graduate, as the David vs. Goliath NCAA championship game unfolded, pitting Stevens’ underdog Butler team against Duke and Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s blue blood Blue Devils.

“In 2010, Steve and I went to the championship game against Duke, and, of course, Steve was rooting for Duke,” remembered Ainge. “Not to bring back bad memories for Brad, but as I sat there, I said to Steve, ‘this is the best coach in college basketball, right there down on the sideline. He thought that I was talking about Coach K, so we had a little debate right then and there. But, well before that time, I had known of Brad and watched him coach, and I loved to watch his teams play. I love his poise, and more than anything, in talking to Brad about prospects for the draft, I always valued what he said, and I talk to a lot of coaches. For some reason, I just trusted his opinions, and I liked his feel and understanding of players – the character of players and the talents of players.

“Brad was my first choice,” said Ainge at a packed press conference on the floor of the Celtics suburban Boston training facility, a place where the children of Celtics staff and players frequently traipse around, shoot baskets and glance up at replicas of 16 NBA championship banners that mimic the real ones that hung in the rafters of the fabled Boston Garden and now adorn the more modern-looking TD Garden on Causeway Street downtown.

“I’ve watched and admired his poise, his intelligence, his teams and their execution under pressure. I’ve always looked at him over the last few years as a candidate to be a great head coach, never really thinking it was going to be this soon in Celtics history.

“I viewed him as a great talent, but maybe more importantly, a man with great integrity and character,” noted Ainge who was shoulder-to-shoulder with the 10th different Celtics head coach since he played for Bill Fitch in the glory years of the ’80s.

“I am absolutely humbled to be sitting in this room,” said Stevens as the time came for him to speak at his introductory media conference where he let it slip that he had already been reading Celtics great Bill Russell’s memoirs. “As any young basketball coach was or is, I am just in awe of the Boston Celtics organization and all that’s been accomplished by the many players, coaches and everybody else that has worked in this building to help them do what they’ve done.

“One of the things that I’m so thrilled about is to work in a place that has high standards but also places such a value on culture. It’s really important. I’m a process-driven guy. I believe in relationships. I believe in trying to be the very best you can be and that has clearly been something that has been stressed in every conversation that I’ve had here, starting with the multiple conversations I had with Danny.

I want to thank and appreciate Butler, as there’s been a lot of emotion,” Stevens added, sincerely, as he named the Butler support team and called out to the players past and present. “I wouldn’t be sitting here and I’m not one of these guys that’s crazy enough to think that I’m here because of me. I’m here because I’ve fooled a couple of these guys and because we’ve had great people on our bus all the way through and I’m looking forward to working with the great people here.”

“Since the hire, the feedback we’ve gotten has been amazing from coaches, some that I’ve never heard from before, saying that same thing, that Brad is one of the great young coaches that they’ve ever been around. I couldn’t be more excited about our partnership. We’ve spent a lot of time on the phone over the past 10 days, as it’s been a very difficult decision for Brad, leaving a wonderful situation at Butler with his staff, his athletic director and his players,” noted Ainge.

“Brad’s success will be determined by what I do to help him and support him and what (Celtics) ownership does to support us. We all know what we’re about to embark on, and he will have great support from ownership and management. There will be transition from the college game to the NBA game, but we will give him that support to make the transition fast. He’s a very smart guy, and I’m not worried about that. He’s probably more worried about that than I am,” said Ainge with a smile.

“Wyc and Pags knew how much I liked Brad from the very beginning,” said Ainge. “We hadn’t made a deal but it was getting close and the thing that was preventing it from happening was the uncertainty of the NBA. There was a tug to stay at Butler where he was recruiting new players and they’re going into the Big East. Brad loves his athletic director and it was just really, hard. But once he met everybody, he and his wife felt more comfortable.”

The Celtics organization has long embodied the term “Celtics family,” and Ainge took that organizational culture up a notch when he took over the basketball operations job in a place where he and his family literally grew up.

“I lived it,” said Ainge. “I’ve been a coach and I’ve been a player, and I know how draining it can be. We welcome families here. We welcome players to include their families. We want the kids hanging around, shooting with their dads on the court, and we want the whole family to participate in the experience.”

For Stevens, a self-described “process-driven, day-to-day guy,” his hard decision process was a fork in the basketball road. If he jumped at the pros, he would have to leave behind the security of a dream-come-true job at Butler and take that “leap of faith,” as Ainge put it multiple times in the introductory press conference. In Stevens’ mind, surely there was a laundry list of upside factors such as coaching a strong but ornery point guard in Rajon Rondo, who can masterfully quarterback a foundation of gutty, road-tested, high basketball IQ players who will compete mightily during a period of transition and change for this franchise.

On the long-range planning chart for the young coach and his family is the potential for a bright future, living in one of America’s great cities, coaching the league’s most respected and winningest clubs with a newfound, windfall NBA bank account with a different type of security — financial security — to the tune of his freshly minted six-year, $22 million dollar deal.

In taking the gig, Stevens has the utmost admiration and support from senior management, in Ainge. In the past three days, he quickly learned – at his mom’s dining room table – he has the support of team ownership.

Said Grousbeck, with a breath of fresh air and even – yes, humility, uncommon in NBA ownership circles, “Thank you to Brad and Tracy and their family for believing in us, believing in the power of “Celtics Pride.” When you take charge of this organization and all of the tradition and pride that has been built by so many great people in the past, you are a trustee and your obligation is to build the Celtics pride and take it forward. We think that by having Brad and his family here, as a key part of the Celtics going forward, we’re doing everything we can to bring back the championship ways. Both on and off the court, we think Brad will help us lead this franchise to where it needs to be and we’re going to be patient, committed and resolute.”

Reflecting back at the scene from his moms dining room table, Stevens thought hard and you could see the wheels turning in his mind, relishing the request to elaborate on the feeling he had when Ainge and the Celtics’ contingent departed.

“We were pretty well set on what the decision would be when they arrived because of the fact we were meeting in person,” said Stevens, painting the picture. “Obviously, it was important to them to meet us and be sure they felt good about us and for us, we felt a tremendous sense – we felt at home.

“Sitting there around that table, it was very evident, it was very obvious. When they left, it was obvious it was the right decision. But that didn’t make communicating the decision any easy to the people I spent 13 years with (at Butler). We’ve done nothing but look forward since and we had a blast with our family here in Boston yesterday, walking downtown.

“I just can’t wait to get back to normalcy,” added the young coach who can mark his calendar with a date to watch Celtics 2013 draft picks Kelly Olynyk and Colton Iverson along with 2012 No. 1 pick Fab Melo when they play on the Celtics summer league roster in Orlando just about 48 hours after Brad Stevens, the new head coach of the Boston Celtics, was introduced to a group of reporters who all shared the same opinion about a very good hire. That being a coach fitting of a new value in Celtics’ family history – one of humility.