Working out prospects

[Theresa Lee <tjoyce@MIT.EDU>]

Celtics hold auditions

                    By Michael Holley and Peter May, Globe Staff, 05/29/97

                    Rick Pitino wasn't exaggerating when he said he wanted
to get to work
                    as soon as possible. The president and coach of the
Celtics has been on
                    the job less than a month. Already he has organized a
month's worth of
                    interviews.

                    The coach and his staff were working out potential
draft picks yesterday
                    afternoon in Waltham. They'll be at it again today,
when Bowling Green
                    point guard Antonio Daniels works out at Brandeis
University. The
                    Celtics are not saying which players they brought in
for private
                    workouts yesterday, but there was one recognizable face
on the practice
                    court: Eric Williams.

                    Williams came into training camp 37 pounds overweight
last season.
                    That won't be the case this year. As potential players
went through their
                    workouts, third-year forward Williams was on the court
with them.
                    Pitino has promised that all his players will be in the
best shape of their
                    lives by the start of the season. Pitino said all
players he expects to be
                    here have been given their offseason training schedule.

                    The Celtics also are holding competitive workouts for
players who could
                    be here via the June 25 draft. Six days ago, assistant
coach Jim O'Brien
                    was in Stamford, Conn., representing the Celtics at a
private workout
                    for Colorado guard Chauncey Billups (who reportedly
won't get by
                    Denver, picking fifth).

                    The Celtics had company at the Stamford Athletic Club:
About seven
                    teams, including the Bucks and Nets, were present.
Billups is not
                    expected to be in Waltham or any other NBA-related
venues before the
                    draft; apparently, his 30-minute display in Stamford
will be his lone
                    workout.

                    When asked Tuesday about his team's most prominent
needs, Pitino
                    mentioned the backcourt and center. Already, the team
has focused on
                    point guard, working out three (Daniels, Billups,
Jacque Vaughn of
                    Kansas) of the draft's top four prospects. And while
Pitino has not said
                    free-agent point guard David Wesley is not in his
plans, the coach has
                    given no indication that Wesley is a part of the
Celtics' future.


tjoyce@mit.edu