5 things to know about Greg Monroe
Monroe joined the Celtics at the NBA's trade deadline.
The Boston Celtics officially signed free agent Greg Monroe to a one-year deal on Thursday, and five hours later the 27-year-old made his debut in green. Monroe had five points, six rebounds, and two assists as the Celtics beat the Wizards 110-104 in overtime Thursday night.
“Greg is an experienced player,” general manager Danny Ainge said. “He can score in the post. I think he will be a terrific passer in our offense…He’s a veteran guy who seems really interested in this opportunity to come play for a team that can win some playoff games.”
Here’s what you need to know about the Celtics’ new big man:
Monroe was a skinny 6-foot-8 freshman in high school
Helen Cox High School was not a basketball powerhouse until Monroe put it on the map. He was already 6-foot-8 as a high school freshman, but had yet to grow into his frame.
“I remember going into the gym, and Greg could probably only bench-press 75 pounds,” his high school coach Tyrone Mouzon recalled. “He was this little skinny kid. … To any kids I see struggling [that story] kind of motivates them, because they see him now and think if he can do it, I can do it.”
Today, the power forward stands 6-foot-11, 265 pounds and has earned the nickname ‘Moose.’ You can follow him on Twitter at @M10OSE.
He was the last player to wear No. 10 for the Pistons
Monroe was playing for Detroit Pistons in 2011 when the team honored Dennis Rodman by retiring his No. 10 jersey. The only problem was Monroe was wearing that number. But Rodman gave Monroe his blessing to continue wearing the jersey when Monroe worked up the courage to meet him.
“The guy won, what, about four or five championships, [two] defensive player of the years…So you walk out, you see him and everybody tells you to walk up to him, it’s kind of hard,” Monroe said. “It was definitely hard just walking up to him.”
Even with Rodman’s blessing, Monroe decided to swap numbers, saying, “They told me I could keep it but just out of respect, I think I’m going to change my number.”
Monroe picked the Celtics over his hometown Pelicans
Monroe considered signing with the New Orleans Pelicans but ultimately chose the Celtics as his destination.
“It’s home for me,” Monroe said. “So it was definitely a tough decision. But it was hard to pick against [Boston].”
Monroe was born and raised in Gretna, New Orleans. When the Georgetown team traveled to face Tulane in 2009, his family served up some southern hospitality for Greg’s teammates.
“Oh yes, I’ve got gumbo, red beans and rice, stuffed peppers again, fettuccine, ” Dixon Monroe said at the time. “I’ve got some turkey necks and corn and potatoes, fried fish…I ordered a king cake for them. I’m giving them a taste of New Orleans. I’ve got pecan candy coming, bread budding, banana pudding.”
His family fled to Houston during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina hit during the first week of Monroe’s sophomore year of high school in 2005. The family packed up and headed to Houston, like many other New Orleans residents, and Greg spent a month at a new high school before the family returned home. Monroe, a McDonalds All-American, led the Helen Cox Cougars to the state championship in 2008.
“To be able to win that year, it definitely meant a lot for everyone,” Monroe said. “For us, we really wanted to do something to at least bring a little light back into the city.”
After graduation, Monroe went to Georgetown where he was the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman and first-team all-conference as a sophomore.
Analysts were worried Monroe wasn’t selfish enough for the NBA
Monroe declared for the 2010 draft after recording 14 double-doubles in his sophomore season with the Hoyas. Monroe was a clear lottery pick but commentators, including Dick Vitale, worried that the mild-mannered big man might be too unselfish for the NBA game. Monroe was, and is, an excellent passer, though scouts thought he should have been keeping the ball himself and shooting more. The Washington Post wrote, “He appears to be showboat-averse. On those occasions when he elevates above the rim, he’s as apt to gently place the ball in the basket as if placing a bon-bon on a pillow rather than bring down the backboard in a display of brute force.” Despite the critiques, Monroe was drafted seventh overall by Detroit, and the Celtics newest addition has averaged 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds over the course of his eight-year NBA career.
