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Satch Sanders: Maximum efficiency and a true gentleman


      Thomas Ernest Satch Sanders played for the beloved Boston Celtics. Try these words on for description. Quiet, sincere, loyal, perceptive, a gentleman. He was a player who gave heart and maximum effort out there. He received minimum fanfare yet was probably one of the most efficient players for the Celtics. He had a very steady and successful career in green and white. 

     He was a college star at NYU and he was the top pick in the 1960 draft. He played a total of 916 games and had a stretch where he played over 450 of them consecutively. He spent 13 seasons in the NBA. He won 8 titles! He was 8 and 0 in the finals - an amazing stat! His career high in both points and rebounds came against Syracuse, 30 points and 26 rebounds

     He could score at ease because he was on the receiving end of many fast breaks. Defensively is where he made it happen. That was his bread and butter. He was the guy tasked with stopping giants like Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas, and Elgin Baylor. Talk about shutting down elite Hall of Fame players who could ball in any ERA. He always embraced his rugged role with grace and dominance on the floor. His number 16 hangs in the rafters and he is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

     He dabbled a bit as a coach and was the first African American ever to coach an Ivy league school. Every great team needs a guy like Satch who was willing to do whatever the team asked of him and that's why it makes him one of the greatest Celtics to ever put on the uniform. He was selfless on the floor and more players should follow his lead. 

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