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Hunting For A Spot
By: Brian Gleason

Hunter boxes out the Knicks on his way to 12 boards Thursday night at the Reebok Pro Summer League.

Celtics second round pick Brandon Hunter has begun his NBA career in a tough situation. He's playing in the 2003 Reebok Pro Summer League for a team that really likes his game, and he's with a team that he really thinks he can help. But he's living the life of a typical second round pick in the NBA.

These are the players that don't get guaranteed contracts, when they hear their name announced on draft night, they don't know if the team selecting them will even sign them to a contact. That's why you hear so many players leading up to the draft talking about how important it is to be selected in the first round, where players are guaranteed three years of NBA action and NBA pay.

For Hunter the Reebok Pro Summer league is very important. With the Celtics roster being very tight, he's trying to impress everyone in the gym, with the hopes that he can sign on with the Celtics or be noticed by another team. It can be a lot of pressure, but for the rookie out of Ohio, it's something he can't think about while he's on the court.

"I just go out and play", said Brandon Hunter. "When you get yourself in those situations, you start trying to pressure yourself into doing things. Just go out and play, that's all you can do. I'll let the Lord sort it out. I'm going to work hard, just go out there and play my game, and everything else will take care of itself."

So far, Hunter has been playing his game in the Reebok Pro Summer League, showing the skills that allowed him to lead the nation in rebounding as a senior (12. rpg). While at Ohio, Hunter became the third player in MAC history to amass 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, while joining the Minnesota Timbervolves Gary Trent as the only player in Bobcat history to be named First Team All-MAC three times.

Through the Celtics first three games at the Reebok Pro Summer League, Hunter is averaging 15.0 points, on 57.1 percent from the field, and 8.3 rebounds per game. His summer league performance was highlighted Thursday night, with a 26 point 12-rebound effort against lottery pick Mike Sweetney and the New York Knicks.

What has made Hunter's success and his eventual selection in the NBA draft even more impressive is that like Celtics forward Eric Williams, Hunter didn't play organized basketball until his junior year at Withrow

Hunter went 8-for-10 from the foul line vs. New York.

HS in Cincinnati, Ohio. Due to family reasons he simply didn't have the time. But when those problems got resolved, he was able to suit up both his junior and senior seasons.

Once on the court, his high school coach instilled in him a tenacity that made him an outstanding rebounder. He was taught that the second shot, many times is the most important shot, and he listened to the advice. He's going to try to use his rebounding as a commodity to get himself on an NBA roster.

"My high school coach just taught me to go after the ball, and that giving up second and third shots will kill you defensively, so I tried to become the best rebounder I could", said Hunter. "Every team needs someone who can rebound, so I am hoping that NBA teams will see that."

The first person he needs to impress is the Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge. Ainge really likes Hunter's game and knows that the Celtics could use a tough inside player.

"Brandon is a hard-working guy that's doing a good job inside", commented Ainge. "He is a good physical presence inside. He does a good job on the boards and he really competes."

But for now all Hunter can do, is continue what he has always done, rebound, play hard and be an inside presence. He can't control the future, only show his skills and hope the chips fall into place.

"I don't let it concern me. I don't really ask questions. I just go out and I play hard in practice, play hard in the games... It'll sort itself out in due time."

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