Mike Fine on JR Bremer

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

JR Bremer sounds like a viable Strickland replacement if 
he continues to master the game. Hopefully he'll have a 
successful career wearing the Boston Celtics uniform, 
like a Don Chaney. What an ugly shot, but who cares.

p.s. tonight is a good challenge for our point guards 
(among many other things). I just realized I can't view 
the game, so I hope people will contribute game reports 
to the list.


http://ledger.southofboston.com/display/inn_sports/sports0
2.txt

Bremer makes Celtics roster: O'Brien high on rookie's 
defense

By MIKE FINE
The Patriot Ledger

WALTHAM - If you know the Boston Celtics this season, you 
know it's all about points, which is one reason Ernest 
Bremer - you can call him J.R. - finds himself with a 
job. 

Bremer can score, and more importanty to coach Jim 
O'Brien, the youngster can hit the 3-pointer with a 
facility that belies his tender age. At St. Bonaventure 
University last season, the 6-2, 185-pound senior guard 
averaged 24.6 points per game - fourth best in the nation 
among Division 1 schools - while connecting on 88 3-
pointers. 

Yet, if you think that's the only reason he's earned 
himself his first professional job, well, think again. 

"I was really impressed with his defense during the 
summer," said O'Brien, who watched the Cleveland native 
average 9.0 points and 3.5 assists at the Shaw's Summer 
League. He has what I would call great defensive feet, 
and he stays in his stance. He keeps his feet wide. He 
can move really well. He contains the basketball 
excellently, and that's one of the reasons, probably more 
than scoring, that he's here - his defensive abilities. 
It doesn't surprise me at all.'' 

It's the reason the Celtics waived Omar Cook, who was 
thought to have the inside track as a Celts 12th man this 
season. 

Despite his scoring proficiency in the Atlantic-10 last 
season, Bremer met the same fate as the three players 
above him on the Div. 1 scoring list (Jason Conley of 
VMI, Henry Domercant of Eastern Illinois and Mire Chatman 
of Texas-Pan American). He went undrafted. Unlike the 
other three, however, he found an NBA job, receiving a 
two-year rookie minimum contract. 

In the Chicago (pre-draft) camp he was very tenacious, 
a tremendous athlete,'' said Celts general manager Chris 
Wallace, who liked the fact that Bremer was from an 
athletic family. One of the problems he had was that he 
played for two coaching staffs at St. Bonaventure, first 
for current Rhode Island coach Jim Barons, and then for 
current coach Jan van Breda Kolff.

Both staffs were very, very high on him and 
complimentary not just on his abilities but his 
character, as well.''

Bremer came to the Celts as something of a slow 
developer. He ended up at the New York campus because he 
wasn't exactly a high school superstar, and he went 
undrafted because he developed gradually in college, 
averaging 9.5 points in his first two seasons, 16.6 in 
his third and then 24.6 as a senior. 

My first two years in high school (Cleveland Heights) I 
was like a role player, so I really didn't have the big 
numbers,'' he said, and my senior year I signed (with 
the Bonnies) early because teams weren't pursuing me. I 
had a really big year afterwards, and teams started 
pursuing me, but I already signed with St. Bonaventure. 
It was similar to my college career when I was OK and 
then I blew up my last year.''

Blew up,'' as in scored bucketfuls of points, including 
33 against UConn. People stood up and took notice, yet 
only true fans and perceptive coaches got wind of his 
defensive talents.

I think that's a little trademark of me,'' he said. I 
take pride in playing as hard and aggressive D' as I 
can.''

O'Brien likes to dispel the notion that Bremer was signed 
merely to an apprenticeship position. Stressing defense 
and looking for scoring, he thinks Bremer will fit right 
in and get playing time, even though he's technically 
behind Tony Delk and Shammond Williams on the depth 
charts. 

I think J.R. is one of the best defensive players we 
have, and I think if he continues to be, I don't think 
there's anything from an apprenticeship standpoint 
involved,'' the coach said. If he earns playing time 
he'll get playing time.''

He was the fourth leading scorer in the country,'' 
Wallace said, and we saw him in the postseason camps 
and sort of envisioned him as maybe a young and up-and-
coming Erick Strickland type. At that time we knew we 
could be in trouble re-signing Erick. So after the draft 
we intensified our recruiting efforts to try to get him 
in so the coaches could see him. They were attracted to 
him, and we pulled the trigger.''

He drew interest from 15 teams during the summer, and 
attended camps of Memphis and Minnesota. He was about to 
leave Boston for Toronto when he got the news that the 
Celtics wanted him. A thoroughly hectic summer had ended 
successfully. 

This is best suited for me,'' Bremer said. Coach 
likes guys who can hit the open 3 and defend, and I'm 
good for those.''

And what shooter wouldn't want to play for a coach who 
bases his offenses on 3-pointers? I love shooting 3s,'' 
Bremer said, and getting a coach who gets mad at you if 
you don't shoot open 3s, you can't ask more than that.''

O'Brien said yesterday that he's not happy with his 
team's progress, he is happy with its intensity and work 
ethic, and he wishes the season could start now. If the 
ball was going up tonight, they would compete,'' he said, 
adding that he knows his players don't need any reminders 
about competing hard. I would just say you can talk to 
the New England Patriots about needing reminding. We went 
to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. They went to 
the championship. Every team wants to kick our butts. OK. 
They'll see it in the eyes of the opponents the whole 
time. You've got to flat-out get after it. This year has 
nothing to do with last year. This is a whole different 
basketball team that has to prove itself from day one 
because nobody cares what happened last year. Nobody.''

The Celts yesterday waived the first of their four 
training camp bodies-without-hope, Frantz Pierre-Louis, 
who returned to Italy to play in Sicily. Neither he nor 
Bryon Mouton, Jay Locklier or Tommy Adams had a shot at 
making the team, but each recent college grad (Pierre-
Louis graduated from Wagner in '99) understood that he 
was here for the experience. The other three must be 
waived by Thursday for the Celtics to avoid salary 
liability. We're not really interested in bringing any 
more salary in,'' Wallace said ...

The Celts will start the season, presumably, with 11 
healthy bodies. Kedrick Brown is still recovering from an 
ankle sprain ... The Celts host the Mavericks tomorrow 
night in exhibition game No. 7, this time at the 
FleetCenter. Players will greet fans at the gates between 
6 and 6:15 p.m. ... The Celtics have no more road games 
until Oct. 31, a time span that includes tomorrow, 
Friday's Fleet game with Washington, and next Wednesday's 
regular-season opener with Chicago. On Halloween night 
they'll be at Washington. This is their longest span at 
home for the rest of the season. 

Mike Fine may be reached at mikefine@ledger.com. 

Copyright 2002 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Tuesday, October 22, 2002

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