This article was written by Matt Rury, a long-time contributor to Gino's Jungle. Matt took some time off and has returned to writing about the Celtics.
In my second “Get to Know Matt Rury” article, I thought you all should know that I attended the prestigious Florida State University. It all started when I was nine years old…
Ok, so this isn’t really a getting to know Matt Rury article. But I am a Seminole and I did have the pleasure of watching Von Wafer for his two years in college. Wafer is a rare breed. He’s a Seminole in the NBA.
For those of you that don’t know, Florida State is a football school. Every year, they compete with powerhouses like Florida, Miami and the rest of the ACC. The list of football players to make it in the pros out of FSU is at least twice as long as the list of those in the NBA.
Of the 28 players that have “NBA experience” from Tallahassee four of them are current players (Wafer, Al Thornton of the Wizards, Toney Douglas of the Knicks, and Toronto Raptors rookie Solomon Alabi). Fifteen of them played more than two years in the NBA and only six of them played over five years. Of those six former players, two of them were Celtics and five of them stand out in my mind as making an impact at some point (NBA years played in parentheses):
Dave Cowens (1970-82) – the only retired number in FSU history as of my graduation in 2006. Celtic Great. NBA Hall of Famer. Enough said.
George McCloud (1989-2001) – pure shooter who got better with age. Never an NBA champion but could always knock down the clutch shot when needed.
Sam Cassell (1993-2008) – Three time NBA champion with the Rockets and Celtics. His leadership on the court and in the locker room was an intricate part of Boston’s 2008 title.
Charlie Ward (1994-2005) – Two-sport star and Heisman winner in football. Chose NBA over NFL and averaged 22 minutes a game in an 11 year career (mainly with the Knicks).
Bob Sura (1995-2005) – Played with Ward in college and turned into an NBA journey-man known for his scrappiness and mid-range jumper more than anything else.
This brings me to the man of the hour, Von Wafer. I hope Wafer makes this team. I want to be the only person standing and doing the “Seminole Chop” when he steps onto the court for the first time as a Celtic like I did when Cassell was introduced. You already know that I love to preach defense, and unfortunately for Wafer that’s what he’s going to have to show if he wants a green and white jersey this year.
I say unfortunately because Wafer is a gunner. He loves to launch the “3.” He “drops bombs.” Pick a player in the NBA, this guy will beat him in a 3-point contest nine out of ten times. I’m sure Paul Pierce has already seen his skills in practice and doesn’t even want to challenge him. In his sophomore (and final) year at Florida State he made about 1/3 of the entire team’s shots beyond the arc. Wafer would play point guard and shooting guard and one out of every five or six plays that they ran would end up with him shooting from downtown.
This does not give Wafer an edge in Celtics’ camp. In front of him on the depth chart are proven NBA players in Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo as well as veterans Delonte West and the most energetic Celtic, Nate Robinson. Wafer needs to show more than his prowess from long distance in order to make this team. He has the athletic ability – but will he use it?
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