Deep Green: Modestly, Satch Sanders helped pave the way

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/deep-green-modestly-satch-sanders-helped-pave-way


Deep Green: Modestly, Satch Sanders helped pave the way
February 7, 2015, 12:45 pm





Hall of Famer Tom "Satch" Sanders doesn't look at the choices he made as being pioneering. To him, being part of the first all African-American starting five and the first African-American head coach in the Ivy League came from the preparation that gave him those opportunities.

"In my case, it was never a matter of thinking this was the first, this was something that's going to be looked at as historical, this is something special," he said. "You just prepare yourself as best possible and in many of the cases where I was concerned the choices have been good for me. And, as people have looked at them from the outside, it might have had some particular significance, but for me, those choices were personal."

On Dec. 26 1964, Sanders, Bill Russell, Willie Naulls, Casey Jones and Sam Jones took the floor as Celtics starters and made history. Still, Sanders said it was all about winning, not skin color.

"It wasn't something we dwelled on as players. We were interested in continuing to win every single game," he said.

Sanders won eight NBA titles in his 13 years with the Celtics and then went on to make more history when he became head basketball coach at Harvard.




bob




.

A more gentlemanly player never existed. Except for his elbows on the court.

Sam

When I was a kid I had the vague notion that Tom Sanders played jazz trumpet when not playing basketball because his nickname was "Satch."

But then I would confuse Ray Nitschzche with Frederich Nietzsche.

The one thing I learned watching Satch in the twilight of his career was to try to pay attention to the more subtle aspects of the game.  During the '71-'72 season, the Celtics had a record hovering around .500 near the all-star break when Sanders, who had missed the prior season with a knee injury, was inserted into the starting lineup.  The team finished with a record of 56-26.

Satch's numbers weren't anything to impress, particularly to a small kid but obviously there was something going on and the team's improvement wasn't just a coincidence.

Jerry West, in his 1970 book "Mr. Clutch" wrote that Sanders was the best defensive forward he had seen.  This was high praise indeed since Havlicek was also around.

Good to see Satch get some ink but someone should have been more careful with the editing.  I mean "Casey" Jones?

Sloop,

In the 60s, up in the first couple of rows of Section 88, the "regulars" got so used to the substitution patters of Red Auerbach that we could pretty much predict which player he would sub in at which minute. But sometimes, especially if the Celtics had hit a rough patch, we'd grow impatient, and we'd amp up the volume and suggest substitutions to Red.

Satch was our choice to rectify the problem in at least 80% of those cases. It was uncanny that Red would put Satch in within a minute or two; and the problem usually disappeared shortly thereafter.

Satch's work could never be measured by his stats. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that he influenced his teammates' games more than any non-floor general I'd ever seen. One of the reasons why Russ could dominate on defense was that he could "cheat" toward the side of the floor opposite where Satch was. Satch made defensive life so much more bearable for guys like Cousy, Sharman and the Jones Boys by making their opponents think twice before trying to drive by them; he was all elbows. And his picks would open passing and driving lanes for guys like Havlicek and Heinsohn. He had played center in college, so he was a more-than-adequate substitute if Russ got into foul trouble. He was pretty good at driving to the hoop himself, as long as it wasn't a long trip (eyesight problems). And he had a nice little overhead jumper on which his body would actually undulate. In practice, Havlicek would do an imitation of that jumpshot that was an undulating riot.

I've always thought that Satch belonged in the Hall of Fame. When he got voted in, it was as a contributor rather than as a player. Since his contributions involved setting players new to the NBA on the right path, I suspect his "contribution" enshrinement means more to him than a player enshrinement would have.

Sam

Red told John Feinstein how one year he had a meeting with a post Walter Brown owner about who to leave unprotected in the upcoming expansion draft.

Both the owner and his son agreed that Satch Sanders really didn't do much and was highly expendable. Red told them that they were crazy and knew nothing about the game but if that's what they wanted to do they obviously didn't need him since they already knew so much.

Satch stayed on the team and Red remained as the GM.

How would you like to have been a fly on the wall during that meeting?