Chris Forsberg/ESPN Boston
Celtics center Jason Collins at the team's golf tournament Tuesday.The Celtics have to wait a few more days before they can (officially) begin working towards their goals on the basketball court -- training camp opens Saturday -- but Tuesday saw them take the latest stride in an equally important arena: The community.
Several players and other prominent figures in the organization -- including head coach Doc Rivers, president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca, newcomers Jason Terry and Jason Collins, and rookies like Jared Sullinger and Kris Joseph -- took part in the team's 5th annual USI Shamrock Classic golf tournament on Tuesday, helping to raise over $100,000 for the Shamrock Foundation. The Celtics' premiere community outreach program prides itself on helping children in need, and has been bolstered by support from players and personnel all summer.
"It's great to have all the guys involved," Rivers said before teeing off on Tuesday." They've done some stuff already...it's just good to get them in the community. The Shamrock Foundation is always a good start. They do great work, obviously."
The Celtics can only hope that their consistency on the floor this season will mirror their consistency in the community this past summer. In addition to Tuesday's golf tournament, the C's saw a host of players take part in several other prominent New England-area projects, including Jeff Green, Joseph, and Dionte Christmas helping to redesign Holland Elementary school and work with its students; Avery Bradley visiting patients at Children's Hospital in Boston; and newcomer Courtney Lee joining Bradley, Christmas, and Joseph to take part in a panel at the team's annual Summer Soirée.
"It's always important to give back and to support the people who support you," Collins said on Tuesday. "Just walking around Boston, I've been here a couple of days now, and just walking around, it's a lot different than Atlanta. I was in Atlanta the past three years and you really get the 'Go Celtics!' and all that kind of stuff, so it's great to see, great to be a part of."
And all of these team-based events come in addition to the efforts individual players make on their own. Consider recently acquired guard Jason Terry, who's integrated himself into the Boston community in record time through various events, including Tuesday's golf outing and a high school basketball tournament at Reebok headquarters last month. Terry founded his own community outreach program -- the Jason Terry Foundation -- back in 2000, and joins the likes of Paul Pierce (The Truth Fund) and Rajon Rondo (the Rajon Rondo Foundation) as a player with personal community endeavors.
"Well it's very important for me. Since I've been in the league, I've always made a point to give back to the community," Terry said. "I started my own foundation, the Jason Terry Foundation, and we are looking very forward to being active in the Boston community. Obviously every community is very important, and our job and our duty as professional athletes is to be a positive role model and to give back."