From The Green And Gold To The Green And White

He has gone from the tiny town of West Barnet to the ‘big city’ of Burlington, Vermont and now he finds himself smack in the middle of the desert in Las Vegas, Nevada. In four years, Taylor Coppenrath has ventured from the cozy surroundings of St. Johnsbury Academy to the comfortable 3,200-seat University of Vermont’s Patrick Gymnasium and now a roster spot on the 16-time World Champion Boston Celtics and center stage at the Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League. But, the 6-foot-9-inch sensation is ready for the task.

“It’s a great feeling to be here,” exclaimed Coppenrath lacing up his high-top sneakers and preparing for another Celtics practice. “I just had to try and prove myself during the season and you really only had a couple of ‘big’ games when you’re playing at the University of Vermont. So, I tried to show some stuff then and then again after the season I worked out in Chicago, went to the Portsmouth Invitational and went back to the Pre-Draft Camp in Chicago. I also worked out for a few teams with the last workout being the Celtics just before the NBA Draft. And now this, getting invited to be with the Celtics for the Summer League – it’s just kind of a dream come true coming from a small town in Vermont.”

His blond haircut is cropped a little tighter and maybe not as floppy or as shaggy as it was during his playing days at UVM and when he tormented and torched the America East League over the past four years, and the number 58 Celtics practice jersey makes you turn your head a couple of times to make sure it’s not the familiar number 22 he proudly wore at Vermont, but it is definitely him! “Hey, I’m just looking to have some fun, show some stuff and see what happens from there,” joked Coppenrath.

When asked if he was disappointed by not being one of 60 players drafted in the 2005 NBA Draft, or being the first Catamount selected by an NBA team since 1947 when Larry Killick and Bob Jake were taken by the old Baltimore Bullets, Coppenrath reflected and said, “It would have been nice to have heard my name be called (on Draft Night) but it doesn’t happen all the time and a lot of people don’t get drafted, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play in the NBA or can’t play down the road. You just got to work a little harder at it and keep on improving your game to fit that style. This next week I’m not only trying to impress the Celtics but a number of other teams who are here.”

What Taylor Coppenrath has is height, solid fundamental skills, a healthy competitive spirit, a thirst and a love of the game of basketball and a ton of people who are in his corner pulling for him.

“I definitely think people like a small town hero who happens to make it big. I think everyone is looking at Larry Bird, who came from a small town and made it big and people said some negatives about him (couldn’t jump, play good defense, etc.), but it didn’t stop him from continuing to work and become the basketball player that he was. Not that I am try to follow in his foot steps, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt, would it? But, there’s a lot of people that follow this type of player, like myself, who tries to really work hard, just help the team and just have that fight (never-quit and never-die). People really admire that because the real world is a place where you have to fight most of the time to survive.”

“He's just a smart basketball player,” stated Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers. “Between Taylor and Ryan (Gomes) they, probably, possess the best all-around basketball IQ on the team. Taylor picks up things quickly and applies them to the situation well. He is getting a chance to bang with Big Al and Perk and, so far, he is holding his own just fine.”

“I’m just trying to develop my game into the type and style of the NBA. I have been working on the screening and pop, working on some spot shooting, some low post moves and just really trying to broaden my game a little more instead of just on the post,” concluded Coppenrath.

From the state that brought us Ben and Jerry’s, the rock group Phish, native maple syrup every springtime, fresh Cabot cheese, the setting for the popular television show, “Newhart”, the world-renown von Trapp family, politicians Howard Dean and Calvin Coolidge and legendary revolutionary war hero Ethan Allen, just maybe, Taylor Coppenrath could be the next folk hero to come out of the Green Mountain state.