That day at Boston Celtics Rick Pitino, former president of basketball operations and head coach of the Celtics, was born in 1952 in New York Metropolis. A graduate of the College of Massachusetts, Pitino went into teaching after his faculty profession with the Minutemen ended.
The New Yorker labored on the College of Hawaii and Syracuse College as an assistant coach earlier than touchdown the top teaching job at Boston College. He left that place to grow to be an assistant coach at Boston College. The New York Knicksafter which took over the administration of Windfall Faculty.
Pitino obtained his first probability to teach an NBA group with the Knicks in 1987, earlier than resigning two seasons later. He landed at Kentucky, the place he coached for eight seasons — profitable an NCAA title in 1996 — earlier than becoming a member of Boston in 1997. Between then and his resignation in 2001, Pitino had full management over the Celtics group and used it to make them a 102-146 document, a lot to the dismay of followers.
Maybe no different coach or group president in franchise historical past has had such a strained relationship with the followers. However after Pitino did not recapture the glory of his previous along with his frequent and generally complicated strikes, it is comprehensible why.
Former Boston nice Bob Doll died at present in 1959. He performed for the group for 2 seasons between 1948 and 1950 within the Basketball Affiliation of America (BAA – a precursor league to the NBA).
Doll averaged 7.3 factors and a pair of.4 assists per sport throughout that span — rebounds weren’t but counted.
Former Celtics ahead Greg Minor was additionally born at present, in 1971 in Sandersville, Georgia. A Louisville product, Minor was chosen by Boston with the twenty fifth general choose within the 1994 NBA draft and performed six seasons within the NBA, all with Boston.
He averaged 6.9 factors, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per sport with the group.
Lastly, it’s also the birthday of former Boston level guard Dennis Johnson, who was born in 1954 in San Pedro, California.
He performed collegiately for Pepperdine when he was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics, for whom he performed with the Phoenix Suns earlier than becoming a member of the Celtics in a commerce for Rick Robey.
DJ, as he was usually known as, received two titles with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986, an All-Star berth and different accolades throughout his seven seasons with the group. He averaged 12.6 factors, 3.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists per sport with the franchise.
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This text was initially revealed on Celtics Wire: Celtics Historical past: Pitino, Johnson, Minor Born; Doll Died