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The success being enjoyed by the current iteration of the Boston Celtics must be contagious.
Former Celtics forward and assistant coach Walter McCarty and the Evansville collegiate squad he left Boston to coach had their own Kevin Garnett-like moment last night as they took down the top-ranked University of Kentucky men’s basketball team 67-64.
For McCarty, it was doubly significant, as he happens to be an alumnus of the school his unranked Purple Aces defeated. Even more impressive, it happened on Kentucky’s home court at Rupp Arena.
Former #Celtics player and assistant coach Walter McCarty and @UEvansville pulled off a stunning upset vs. No. 1 ranked Kentucky: https://t.co/DnMDKfF9wE pic.twitter.com/JwWb5ZWQc1
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) November 13, 2019
25-point underdogs or no, McCarty motivated his hometown team, which he took the reins of after leaving the Celtic in 2018, to dig in and pull off the upset win.
You can listen to the local radio play-by-play announcers narrate Kentucky’s failed attempt to tie the game up in its final seconds below:
Opposing coach John Calipari reportedly admitted after the game he was out-coached by the former Celtics staffer, according ESPN’s Myron Medcalf. “Give credit to Walter. He had his team better prepared than I had my team. They deserved to win”, noted the Hall of Fame coach.
6-foot-6 Evansville guard Sam Cunliffe gushed over the win, saying (per the Evansville Courier-Press’ Chad Lindskog), “It’s amazing … Coming to a school like this, you talk about making history like this. You know, making history and playing in front of these bright lights.”
“We prepared the right way and had our minds in the right spots, so to actually do it is surreal,” he added. “I couldn’t have imagined this ever in my life.”
Cunliffe, a four-star recruit McCarty was instrumental in landing, joined guard K.J. Riley in leading the team with 17 and 18 points, respectively, with Cunliffe adding a half-dozen boards for good measure.
“They are a great team, the toughest team to play us,” McCarty offered after the win. “But I believe in my guys. I told them, ‘We’re gonna go in there and get them. We’re gonna surprise some people today.’ I told them, ‘This is a great day to be a Purple Ace. Let’s go do it.”
Somehow, despite the odds and hostile environment, they did.
It’s refreshing to see so many current and former Celtics finding success again after such a rough season for Boston’s fans.