McCarty joins Stevens' staff

August, 20, 2013

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

Walter McCarty, who spent nearly eight seasons with the Boston Celtics during a 10-year playing career, confirmed to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman on Tuesday that he will be an assistant coach on Brad Stevens' staff.

The 39-year-old McCarty landed in Boston in October 1997 after being traded by the Knicks before his sophomore season. He emerged a fan favorite here and "I love Walter!" became a familiar catchphrase for television broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn. McCarty helped Boston to three playoff appearances from 2002-04 before being traded to Phoenix for a second-round pick midway through the 2004-05 season.

James Posey, another beloved former Celtic, and McCarty were believed to be the two top candidates to round out Stevens' staff as it appeared he was seeking a former player. Comcast SportsNet first reported McCarty's hiring.

McCarty joins the staff of the 36-year-old Stevens, who had previously brought on Ron Adams, a longtime NBA assistant, and Micah Shrewsberry, one of Stevens' former assistants at Butler. Assistants Jay Larranaga and Jamie Young were carried over from Doc Rivers' staff.

Boston ties have served McCarty well as he immersed himself in coaching. He served as an assistant under former Celtics coach Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville in 2007. McCarty moved on to be an NBA assistant under former Celtics coach Jim O'Brien in Indiana during the 2010-11 season, but was let go a season later when the Pacers hired Frank Vogel.

McCarty has been a familiar presence in Boston, often sitting courtside during games the past two seasons.

112288

Nice guy. Should be able to relate to the players well. And has been living in Boston, running basketball camps etc since he left...so clearly wants to be here.

Waltah loves Tommy right back!


bob


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http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/mccarty-cs-job-couldnt-get-any-better



WALTHAM, Mass. — Walter McCarty and Rajon Rondo both share University of Kentucky ties which certainly didn't hurt his chances of landing an assistant coaching gig with the Celtics.

But when you look at McCarty's full body of work as a former NBA player and a Celtic fan favorite (even now), along with years spent both on NBA and college sidelines, it's clear that the C's are getting more than just someone to babysit their four-time all-star.

McCarty, recently hired for the final spot on rookie head coach Brad Stevens' coaching staff, spoke to the media for the first time since the C's announced they had finalized their coaching staff.

McCarty joins Ron Adams and Micah Shrewsberry as newcomers to the coaching staff. Stevens decided to keep two assistant coaching holdovers in Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga.

While news of McCarty joining the Celtics coaching staff did not surface until the past couple of days, the veteran forward said he had come to terms with the C's on the job more than a week ago.

"I always said it had to be the right situation," said McCarty, who spent one season as an assistant coach in Indiana and three years as an assistant under former Celtic coach Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville. "It couldn't get any better than this."

McCarty credits his time with Pitino as helping prepare him for this job.

"It really taught me a lot," he said. "How to prepare for opponents, how to scout games; how to teach and develop players, and how to communicate with players as well."

Still, it was that time with Pitino that actually turned out to be his first experience with Stevens, who at the time was the coach of Butler.

McCarty recalls being with Pitino at a LeBron James camp in Ohio a few years ago.

Stevens approached them and introduced himself.

He was trying to get the Bulldogs on Louisville's schedule for a future game, which actually came about in 2011 when the Cardinals won 69-53 over Butler.

McCarty was impressed with Stevens then, and was pleasantly surprised to see the same down-to-earth coach he met years ago had not changed even as he went about taking Butler to unprecedented heights while establishing himself as one of the more sought-after coaches at the college or pro level.

"He was great," McCarty said of his initial impressions of Stevens. "He's always been a brilliant mind. Best thing I like about him, is he's humble. He wants to continue to learn, everyday. He doesn't act like he knows everything. He wants to learn and make sure everybody's comfortable with everything we have going on. He's a great guy, a great mind, has a wealth of knowledge."

But so does McCarty, especially when you consider he is the only member of the Celtics' coaching staff with experience as an NBA player under his belt.

A 10-year NBA veteran, McCarty played with the New York Knicks, the Celtics, Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers prior to retiring after the 2005-2006 season.

Despite all those credentials, there was an initial thought in some circles that his hiring was in some way a means in which to appease Rondo.

"My background with the Celtics and all the things I've done this organization had a lot to do with it," said McCarty who joined the C's as a Community Relations consultant prior to the 2012-2013 season.

His relationship with Rondo as a factor?

"I know Rondo obviously, and I've seen him around here," McCarty said. "But I don't think that had much to do with it; more of my experience as a player and as a coach had a lot to do with it."


bob


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http://bostonherald.com/sports/celtics_nba/boston_celtics/2013/08/walter_mccarty_tutored_again_by_rick_pitino


WALTHAM — Walter McCarty’s education as a coach came from a very unpopular voice here in Boston. But without it, the former Celtics reserve forward might not be answering questions as a new assistant for Brad Stevens.

McCarty — who was hired by Stevens to fill out the Celtics coaching staff with Ron Adams and Micah Shrewsberry, along with holdovers Jamie Young and Jay Larranaga — spent three seasons, starting in 2007, as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville under his former C’s coach Rick Pitino. It was there where he learned the intricacies of what a coach does behind the scenes, and how to find a voice as an assistant from a guy who has brought three different programs to the Final Four.

“Working for Rick Pitino taught me a lot. It really prepared me for how to prepare for opponents, how to scout games, how to teach and develop players, and how to speak and communicate with players, as well,” McCarty said from the Celtics practice facilities before a private basketball clinic with MarShon Brooks for YMCA of Greater Boston youth yesterday.

“I think without those three years and that schooling, that education under Rick Pitino, I think this would have been a tough get.”

It was McCarty’s first crack at coaching, and the transition back into the college game after a lifetime in the NBA could have been a challenge. But one of his former co-workers didn’t see it that way.

“He was kind of known as an NBA guy and I wasn’t sure how he would be able to transition into college, and he was phenomenal,” said Richard Pitino, son of Rick, and a former assistant at Louisville with McCarty for two years. “The thing that was amazing to me was his lack of ego.”

Assistant coaches in college do more of the grunt work on the road on the recruiting trail, which is where McCarty said he first met Stevens, but a major part of that job description is being a soundboard for the players.

The big question for McCarty is how he is going to connect with point guard Rajon Rondo. McCarty said that he doesn’t have a long relationship with Rondo, even though they both hail from the University of Kentucky, and that he doesn’t think that aspect was one of the main reasons why Stevens hired him.

Richard Pitino, who is entering his first season as the head coach at the University of Minnesota, saw McCarty handle Cardinals upperclassmen and Big East stars Earl Clark and Terrence Williams with ease, mostly because of his long pro career.

“He’s going to deliver the right message,” Richard Pitino said. “(Brad Stevens) will be able to trust in him to do that. He will be a great liaison from the players to coach Stevens. . . . He was the type of guy if we needed him to talk to one of the players, he would get that message across the right way.”

McCarty is the only assistant on Stevens’ staff with any NBA playing experience. He has one year under his belt as an assistant for Jim O’Brien with the Indiana Pacers in 2010-11, and he is hoping his 10-year resume as a player will benefit Stevens and the players in the Celtics locker room.

“I’ve played in this league and I know what the wear and tear is,” said McCarty. “The best thing I love about it is the relationship that you get with players. I’m really looking forward to that.”



bob



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I'm happy for him. Although, I must say this was unexpected. I mean it's so random. Walter? Lol.

KJ