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Nearly a week into training camp the Boston Celtics are putting many long hours in at The Sports Authority Training Center at Healthpoint.  The guys have been working very hard at both ends of the floor, and according to Celtics Head Coach Jim O’Brien, all players arrived in great shape and ready to take the next step to the NBA Finals.

“I think we came in, in very good condition and everybody looks good. There’s not one guy that came in out of shape, so they showed that they were all thinking about the season on their own and putting themselves in a good position to have a good season.”

With nearly four weeks remaining before the regular season there are still many things that Coach O’Brien still needs to accomplish.  With five new players added to the roster chemistry on both offense and defense will be addressed.

“We always emphasize defense first and foremost to get to the point that we can defend at a high level.  We would like to be a little bit more sophisticated in our offense than we were in the past, by drilling more on offense and breaking down our offensive plays into 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 situation.”

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Training Camp: Week One

Larry Abney
Teammates with Courtney Alexander, Rafer Alston and Chris Herren in his playing days at Fresno State, Abney was selected by the Yakima Sun Kings in the third round of 2000 CBA Draft. He made his professional debut, however, in the IBL before signing on with Pennsylvania in the USBL last summer. He has since been signed by Adirondack Wildcats, also of the USBL.

Gary Alexander
A product of the University of South Florida, few know the European circuit like Alexander. Although he’s had a cup of coffee with the Heat and the Cavs during the 1993-94 season, the 6-7 forward has played in Israel, Italy, Germany, Poland, Turkey, France and most recently in Spain with Gran Canaria and Caceres.

Derrick Alston
At 6-10, Alston can man both the four and five spots. After completing a standout career at Duquesne in 1994, Alston was taken in the second round by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1994 draft. He has since gone on to play for some of the top teams in Europe, lacing them up for Manresa and Barcelona (Spain), as well as Efes Pilson (Turkey). He has played for Pamesa Valencia (Spain) for the last two seasons, averaging 15.3 points and 7.1 boards per game last season in Saporta Cup action.

J.R. Bremer
For Bremer to accomplish any more in his college career would have been difficult. Last season, his 24.1 points per game average at St. Bonaventure ranked fourth in the nation. At 6-2, 185 pounds, Bremer can bench bench as much as 350 pounds, which made him one of the strongest young point guards in the country. Last season, he scored 30+ points seven times, set St. Bonaventure records with 88 three-point field goals and 188 free throws, and led his school to an NIT berth. He is the school record holder in career three-pointers with 223 and ranks in the top 10 in both assists (334) and steals (185). Bremer was chosen to the Basketball Times All-East squad. He was named Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference and finished runner-up to Xavier's David West for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.

Kedrick Brown
Back for his second Shaw’s Pro Summer League, the Celtics have high hopes for this high-flyer in the coming year. With four free agents on their active roster and limited room with respect to the salary cap, Boston might look to Brown to fill some of the voids. The club hopes to use the Summer League to further acclimate him the system, as well as to make him the focus of their offensive and defensive sets.

Alex Carcamo
Carcamo is a well-traveled big man. A native of Los Angeles, Carcamo played college ball at Santa Monica Junior College and then one season at Eastern Washington, before stints in both Belize and with Shenzhen in the Chinese League. It was here that he was teammates with fellow summer leaguer Sonny Watson and played against Yao Ming, the number one draft choice of the Houston Rockets in the 2002 NBA Draft.

Omar Cook
Signed as a free agent late last season, the Celtics are hoping that Cook can help man the point guard position in 2003 and beyond. Drafted by the Magic in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft, Boston’s coaching staff feels that Cook has the tools to someday be a floor general in the NBA. They hope that positive minutes at the Shaw’s Pro Summer League will only further develop Cook’s skills.

Tate Decker
After a completing college career which took him through the University of Missouri, Wake Forest, and well as Oklahoma City College, Tate was selected in the seventh round of the 2001 NBDL draft by the Greenville Groove. The 6-10 forward spent this past season with the Indiana Legends in the ABA, before signing on with Kansas Cagerz of the USBL

Demos Dikoudis
Dikoudis is considered one of Europe’s finest at the forward position. He is coming off a season in which he led superpower AEK Athens to the Greek title, averaging 15.4 points and 6.7 boards per game - which also earned him the league’s MVP award. He shot over 60 percent from the field, and nailed 19 of his 36 trey attempts this past season.

Luis Fernando de Souza
The 6-11 center is one of a wave of players emerging from South America. A member of the Brazilian National team, de Souza was the second leading rebounder in the Brazilian league, grabbing over 10 boards per game.

Joseph Forte
The Celtics hope to use the Shaw’s Pro Summer League to further refine Forte’s ability to handle the point guard position. A natural two-guard who won much acclaim during his two-season college career at North Carolina, Boston feels that both the team and Forte have everything to gain by making him proficient in both backcourt positions.

Jaka Lakovic
Having spent a greater portion of his young basketball career with KD Slovan in his native Slovenia, the best may be yet to come for Lakovic. He averaged 12.7 points per game for his club during the 2001 season, as well as over 20 points per game in the Euroleague. Lakovoic already has international experience having played for Slovenia’s National Team and most recently played for KK Krka Novo Mesto.

Oliver Miller
Few players in the Shaw’s Pro Summer League have the NBA experience that Oliver Miller has. A key part of several highly successful University of Arkansas squads from 1988 to 1992, Miller was drafted in the first round of the 1992 draft by the Phoenix Suns. Over the next five seasons, he developed a reputation as a big man with great hands, vision and footwork with Detroit and Toronto. In 1998-99, he had an abbreviated stint in Greece with Iraklio OAA Kritis before returning to the NBA with Sacramento. He signed as a free agent with Phoenix the following season, but then opted to move overseas again, signing on with Polish club KS Pruszkow. This year, he returned to the US and spent time in the CBA, the ABA and most recently the USBL.

Terquin Mott
After completing his collegiate career at Coppin State in 1997, the 6-8 power forward was selected in the second round of the CBA draft. After stints in the USBL and CBA, he took his talents overseas and played for Emlakbank Ortakoy (Turkey), Mobiline (Phillipines) and Manresa (Spain). He returned to the US and re-entered the CBA in 1999, playing for Rockford and LaCrosse. He then returned to Europe to play with Euro power Galatasaray (Turkey) and also with Gijon in Spain, where he averaged over 18 points and 8 boards per game. Last season, he competed in the NDBL with Fayetteville, with Grand Rapids of the CBA and is currently with Venezuelan club Cocodrilos de Caracas.

Darius Songaila
The Shaw’s Pro Summer League will provide Boston coaches as well as fans with an opportunity to take a look at the Celtics draft choice in the 2002 NBA Draft (50th overall). Called a “slider” by many NBA experts, Songaila led Wake Forest to consecutive NCAA Tournament berths in his junior and senior seasons. A big man with a the ability to score inside and outside, as well as rebound, a solid performance this summer could help him gain a roster spot this fall.

Greg Stempin
As the fourth player in University of Toledo history to record more than 1,500 points and 800 rebounds, Stempin finished third on his school’s career-scoring list with 1,705 points. He earned First-Team All-MAC honors as a sophomore, junior and senior, and scored in double figures in 78 of 88 games over last three years. As a senior, led team in points (18.3 ppg) and rebounds (8.2 rpg). Scored in double figures in 17 of last 18 games, and scored 20 ore more points in 14 games. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he was selected in the 2001 NDBL Draft, and played his first professional season this past year with Favetteville, averaging 15.7 points and 6.2 boards per game.

Sonny Watson
At 6-11, 241, Watson possesses a pro body and has skills to match, exhibited by his All-American status in his playing days at Dixie Junior College, the same school that produced Keon Clark He has since had a stint in the Chinese league, where he played against 2002 NBA Draft pick Yao Ming.

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Celtics Summer League Bios

Hawks beat Celtics for Shaw's Championship
Atlanta got 20 points from Demarr Johnson to win a matchup between the only two undefeated teams, 85-68 and win the Shaw's Summer League Championship.  Boston was led by Joe Forte's 15 points, and finished the week 5-1. Check out the complete day's recaps here.

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Shaw's Pro Summer League Index

While most of the Celtics may have been posteason rookies, they certainly made quick impressions. From the C's impressive finish against Philly to their dominance of Jerry Stackhouse to the greatest playoff comeback in NBA history, the Celtics' 2002 postseason run will be etched in the minds of Boston fans for years to come.

Celtics.com takes a look back at some of the postseason's most memorable moments. Below are our top five 2002 NBA Playoffs highlights.

Click here to view the 2002 Playoff Archive

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Top Playoff Moments 2002

BOSTON (June 4, 2002) -- The Boston Celtics announced today that Joe Gallagher has been hired as an assistant coach. Gallagher, who boasts three decades of coaching experience on the collegiate level, joins Jim O'Brien's staff, which includes John Carroll, Lester Conner, Dick Harter and Frank Vogel.

"Joe Gallagher is an excellent teacher of post play," said O'Brien.  "He has been dedicated to player development for many years and his addition will
pay dividends."

"This is a great opportunity for myself and my family," said Gallagher. "I've known Coach O'Brien for years, and I'm familiar with most of the staff. I look forward to coaching the highest level of basketball in the world."

Gallagher recently completed his third year as an assistant coach at Campbell University, where he served as recruiting coordinator and oversaw
the development of Campbell's post players.

A native of Philadelphia, Gallagher is a 1968 graduate of Pembroke State (now UNC Pembroke) and the recipient of his master's degree from East
Carolina in 1974. Gallagher has served as head coach at Methodist College, where he was named Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in each of his two seasons (1973-75).  He then moved on to Pembroke State for three years (1975-78). Including a one-year stint as head coach and athletic director at Belmont Abbey College in 1991-92, Gallagher's collegiate head coaching record stands at 91-69.

Following his tenure at Pembroke State, Gallagher left to become assistant coach at the University of Richmond, where he had a direct influence on the
Spider teams that made two NCAA Tournament appearances and also received a pair of NIT berths.  The 1984 Richmond squad, under the direction of Head Coach Dick Tarrant, advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tourney and in the process eliminated an Auburn squad that included future NBA stars Charles Barkley and Chuck Person.

In 1986, Gallagher joined the staff at Boston College for a five-year tenure. He then returned to Richmond for another five-year stint before moving to UNC Greensboro from 1996-99.

During his playing career, Gallagher averaged 20.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in four years at Pembroke State.  He was selected for the NAIA
Olympic Trials in 1968 and was drafted in the second round by the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association.  A 1980 inductee into the
Pembroke State Athletics Hall of Fame, his jersey number 24 has been retired.

Gallagher graduated from Lincoln Preparatory School in Philadelphia, PA in 1964 after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960-64. He received his
honorable discharge with a rank of corporal.  He and his wife Sharon have one daughter, Christy.

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Gallagher Named Assistant Coach

Be a part of the "Boston Celtics Fan Train" to New Jersey presented by Citizens Bank and AT&amp;T Digital Cable.  Simply listen to WZLX and WWZN this week to find out how to win the following prize pack:

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Boston Celtics Fan Train

Stellar Season Comes to an End
Erick Strickland, Rodney Rogers and Kenny Anderson were strong down the stretch, but Boston couldn't stave off elimination and lost 96-88 to New Jersey in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday. Anderson scored 18 points, and Rogers and Strickland combined for 27 points off the bench.

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Celtics Playoff Central

It was on this date in Celtics playoff history that the Boston Garden saw its greatest individual performance of all-time.

On April 20, 1986, Michael Jordan scored a Garden record 63 points in a 135-131 loss to the Celtics in a Game 2 of a first-round, double overtime game in Beantown.

Jordan connected 22 of 41 shots and made 19 of 21 free throws in a performance that caused teammate John Paxson to want  “to stop and watch him -- and I was playing.”

"I didn't think anyone was capable of doing what Michael has done to us," marveled Larry Bird. "He is the most exciting, awesome player in the game today. I think it's just God disguised as Michael Jordan."