Pitino bringing fans, hope back to Celtics

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Pitino bringing fans, hope back to Celtics


(c) 1997 Copyright Nando.net
(c) 1997 Associated Press

WALTHAM, Mass. (Jul 9, 1997 - 16:33 EDT) -- All the seats were filled.
Fans who couldn't get them stood. They waited eagerly
for the moment. Then it came, and they cheered for 30 seconds.

Rick Pitino had entered the gym.

It was only a workout for little-known free agents, two draft picks and
four veterans. There was no air-conditioning. Yet about
2,400 spectators packed the arena when the man hired to revive the
Boston Celtics marched in.

"Many people are here to see Pitino," said Tim O'Brien, one of those
hopeful fans. "There's such a tradition with the organization.
The people are looking for a hero."

The ticket price of $8 ($5 for kids) for each of the two nights didn't
keep them away. O'Brien attended similar Celtics camps
during the past seven years and said Tuesday night's crowd was the
biggest "by far."

Many fans parked their cars far away and raced to the box office. Too
late. Both workouts Monday and Tuesday nights were
sellouts.

"We turned away 1,000 people (Tuesday night) and people were scalping
tickets for a workout situation without any other NBA
teams," Pitino said. "That's as impressive as it gets."

Fans of the team that won an NBA-record 16 titles are hungry for a
winner after M.L. Carr's embarrassing two-year reign as
coach ended with a 15-67 record last season, the worst in club history.

They're hoping Pitino, who turned around the New York Knicks and college
programs at Boston University, Providence and
Kentucky, can come through. He's already drafted his probable starting
backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer.

"Let's say M.L. drafts these guys. You get half the crowd. They're here
to see Pitino," said O'Brien, 32, a legal researcher from
Newton.

The fans Tuesday night ranged from the middle-aged man in a suit with a
Celtics tie to the kids in green-and-gray T-shirts from
the Red Auerbach Basketball School.

Fans roared when Mercer, the sixth pick in the draft, drove right, then
made a spin move to his left for a layup.

They also cheered when Anthony Tucker, a longshot from the Florida
Beachdogs of the CBA, dove into the first row of seats for
a loose ball. And little-known Herman Alston fired up the crowd by
firing up 3-pointers.

The crowd was excited about anything in a Celtics uniform after two
bleak seasons and the prospect of more until Pitino became
president and coach May 6.

"I haven't seen it like that in three or four years," said guard Dee
Brown, who has emerged from Carr's doghouse to become a
Pitino favorite. "They were very excited and I think that's just a sign
of what's going to come."

Carr hadn't coached before the 1995-96 season and it showed. Practices
were poorly organized. Players' motivation sagged. Last
season's team was so bad that Pitino dumped nine of its players on one
day when he cleared salary cap space to sign center
Travis Knight on Monday.

"It sounds great, nine-for-one, but seven we renounced a long time ago,"
Pitino said. "It was really two-for-one. We didn't want to
renounce either Marty Conlon or Rick Fox."

Instead of over-the-hill centers Frank Brickowski and Alton Lister, who
were renounced, fans came to see Billups and Mercer,
who already are renowned.

Hobbled by a sprained ankle, Billups watched the scrimmages from the
bench. Nearby, Pitino remained calm for most of
Tuesday's nearly two-hour session.

He appeared pensive with his legs crossed and his chin cupped in his
hand. At one point, barely taking his eyes off the action, he
signed a copy of his book, "Success Is A Choice."

In a way, Mercer felt like he was back in college. He has the same
coach, the same system and the same athletic moves to get by
defenders, soar for smooth jumpers and thrill spectators.

The crowds are back, too.

"It's like at Kentucky," he said. "The fans are going to support the
team. It's a new year. We have new players coming in, a new
coach. The fans are anxious and ready to see the team play."

O'Brien is one of them.

"There's an excitement back," he said. "It's going to be a great year."