Danny Ainge’s son, Crew, is transferring to Babson
“I’m looking forward to having fun and playing free and being the best version of myself.’’
Crew Ainge, the son of Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, will transfer from Division 1 Utah State to Division 3 Babson for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season after playing two years at Utah State.
HUGE pickup for D-3 Babson College with the addition of Utah State transfer Crew Ainge, source told @Stadium. Had multiple D-1 offers, but wanted to play close to home so his mom could do his laundry. Babson (Wellesley, Mass.) is literally down the street from the Ainge Estate.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 13, 2019
The 23-year-old Ainge, a Wellesley native and Kimball Union Academy graduate, said he received “probably 20 or 30 offers’’ from schools including Southern Utah, Chattanooga, and Florida Gulf Coast, as well as local Division 2 and Division 3 colleges, but said he always knew he would be coming back to the Boston area.
“I’m really excited to be back in Wellesley,’’ Ainge said. “That gym has been across the street from me my whole life. I used to have tournaments there. It’s going to be so cool to be so close to home.’’
Ainge, a 6-foot guard, appeared in 34 games in two seasons at Utah State, averaging 6.9 minutes as a freshman and 12.9 as a sophomore. Ainge averaged 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds last season as the Aggies (28-7, 15-3 Mountain West) entered the NCAA Tournament seeded eighth, falling in the first round to No. 9 Washington.
“I feel like I haven’t been able to unleash my full potential and be who I think I can be on the court,’’ Ainge said. “I’m looking forward to having fun and playing free and being the best version of myself.’’
Ainge, who took two years off before college to complete a Latter-day Saint mission, said he was wary of transferring to another Division 1 school because he did not want to wait a year to play.
He will be on track to graduate with a bachelor’s in business with a concentration in real estate in May 2021.
Babson finished last season 15-11 overall and 8-6 in NEWMAC play, falling in the conference quarterfinals. The Beavers won the Division 3 national championship in 2017.
“I just wanted to be back home and I wanted to focus on education,’’ Ainge said. “It was a great opportunity to focus more on my future and the business world, and to play basketball.’’
