Today in Boston Celtics history, Hank Beenders was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, in 1916. He immigrated to the United States at the tender age of eight and won a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship with Long Island University in 1942. After he finished his college ball, Beenders joined the Providence Steamrollers, becoming one of the first international players in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), a precursor league to the NBA.
He was traded to the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1948, who then turned around and dealt him to the Celtics in that same year along with center Chick Halbert for big man Ed Sadowski.
The Haarlem native would play just 8 games for Boston in 1948-49, his last stop in the BAA. He averaged 2.4 points and 0.4 assists per game – rebounds were not yet being recorded.
Birthdays
It is also the birthday of Dontae’ Jones, born in 1975 in Nashville, Tennessee. Jones played his college ball with Mississippi State. He was drafted with the 21st overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft and then traded to Boston for Chris Mills after the start of the 1997–98 NBA season. Jones played 15 games for the Celtics that season, recording 2.9 points, 0.6 boards, and 0.3 assists per game before being waived by the team in January 1999.
Finally, it is also the birthday of Eric Riley, born this day in 1970 in Cleveland, Ohio. A Michigan alum, Riley was taken with the 33rd overall pick of the 1993 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He played for the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Los Angeles Clippers as well as a stint overseas before joining Boston in 1999. He played one season for the Celtics, averaging 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Hank Beenders, Eric Riley, Dontae Jones born