Aug. 19, 2008
RUSTON - Former Louisiana Tech basketball star and current Boston Celtic P.J. Brown will be honored at halftime of the Bulldogs season opener against Mississippi State Aug. 30 at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Brown, who lettered for the Bulldogs from 1988 through 1992, will return to his alma mater for the weekend along with his wife Dee, who starred for the Lady Techster basketball team in the early '90s.
In addition to honoring Brown at halftime, the long-time NBA veteran has agreed to attend the gameday pep rally which is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Railroad Park.
Plans are also underway to honor both Fred Dean and Karl Malone at home football games this year. Dean was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while Malone was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Brown will return to his alma mater just two months after helping lead the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA Championship title, the franchises 18th.
After the Celtics lured Brown out of retirement midway through the season, he proved to be an integral piece of the championship puzzle, averaging 4.0 points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench.
And maybe even more important than his statistics was the 15-year veterans leadership and experience on a young team that recorded one of the most amazing turn-arounds in NBA history.
Brown's role during the regular season was more that of an experienced, father-figure on the bench, serving as a role model and teacher for a number of the younger Boston players. The three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team member was the perfect fit for a Boston team that had the marquee names in Pierce, Allen and Kevin Garnett.
Prior to his days in the NBA, Brown averaged 10.1 points and 8.4 rebounds for Louisiana Tech while leading the Bulldogs to a mark of 87-35 and two regular season conference titles and four postseason appearances.
He earned all-conference honors as a junior (second team all-American South) and senior (first team all-Sun Belt).
Season and single game tickets are still on sale as individuals can purchase them by calling 318-257-3631 or logging onto www.latechsports.com.
