Can YOU play for the Maine Red Claws? (Photo by Matt Boutwell, Co-host/Producer, Big Jab 96.3)

According to OurSportsCentral, the Maine Red Claws have announced open tryouts for 2010.  For all of you with a dream and a spare $150, the Red Claws will be at UMass-Boston September 11-12.  It is unclear from the announcement if this will be the Claws’ only open tryout in 2010 – last year they also held one in Charlotte, home of their other NBA affiliate.

Red Claws Head Coach Austin Ainge (who is currently barnstorming Maine with youth basketball clinics) will be on hand to evaluate players.  For their inaugural season the Red Claws found three players through the open tryouts: Mike Williams, Stanley Thomas and Abdulai Jalloh all played in the season opener.

Thomas only played with the Claws for two games; Williams and Jalloh lasted eight and nine games before leaving the team.  Jalloh was the only one of the three to stay in the D-League for most of the season, landing with the Springfield Armor just three days after being waived by Maine.  Jalloh did well in Springfield, averaging almost 12PPG for the Armor for the rest of the season.

To read my recap of the C’s 87-82 loss in yesterday’s summer league opener, click here. To read reaction from around the Celtics world, read on.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald - ”It’d be fair to say that Luke Harangody – No. 55 in your program, No. 52 overall in the NBA draft – turned a few heads. The 6-foot-8 forward still looking to secure an NBA contract had 23 points in the 40-minute game, becoming very familiar with the strings at the RDV Sportsplex. Harangody made 9-of-13 shots from the field, connecting on 4-of-6 treys. ‘He’s a good player, and he shot the lights out today,’ said coach Austin Ainge, stepping up from the D-League affiliate in Maine to run the Green. ‘It just kind of came out of the flow, and he has a knack for finding open spots. That’s a skill that’s hard to teach, and he has it.’ Said Harangody: ‘I just got off to a good start shooting. It was nice to hit that first shot as always. It just carried on throughout the game. There’s a lot of things I could have done better obviously, but I think I had a pretty good performance out there. I’m always going to want to do things better.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Oliver Lafayette summed it up pretty well when asked if he expected Harangody to shoot it as well as he did. ‘I really didn’t,’ Lafayette said. ‘I didn’t know he was that good of a shooter. Coming in I was like he’s a good low-post player, nice little mid range. But I didn’t know he could shoot the ball like that. He kind of surprised me in practice. I was like I know I can go to him when I need a bucket.’”

Brendan Jackson, Celtics Hub – “Now, the bad.  For those of you hoping Semih Erden was the answer to the Celtics’ lack of length in the middle, don’t get too excited.  In his first professional game, Erden looked very stiff out there and fell over on his only two moves to the basket.  He also only grabbed 4 rebounds in 22 minutes and was not on the same page with Lafayette on pick-and-rolls.  It’s early in the process but as of right now, give me some Parakhouski over Erden.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “His translator, Tolga Tugsavul, said Erden hadn’t practiced since the end of the season and would work his way back into condition after the FIBA World Championship in August, which will be in his homeland. ‘He came directly here to learn the system, learn the defensive rules about the referees and everything,’ Tugsavul said. ‘He’s not ready to play for the summer league but he said, ‘I’ll try my best to try to play some defense to help the team.’ He’s more focused for the world championships. But when it’s the end of the world championships, as soon as possible, he will come here to work with the Celtics.’ Erden started at center in the Celtics’ 87-82 summer-league-opening loss to the Thunder last night. He scored 2 points and had four rebounds in 22 minutes. He was hampered by back troubles but said they weren’t serious. ‘Semih was a little banged up today,’ said Celtics summer league coach Austin Ainge. ‘His back was a little sore and he wasn’t moving as well. He’s a legit 7-footer with length and once he learns English a little better and learns what we’re doing a little better I think he’s going to help the Celtics.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPN Boston – “Three players who impressed Monday night: Harangody, Lafayette and Jaycee Carroll. Harangody displayed nice range and, as funky as his shot looks, he made just about everything he put up. Lafayette clearly benefited from the time spent with the C’s during their Finals run and was far and away the best player on the court for the first 25 minutes before fading late. Carroll, a fearless chucker, connected on 6-of-16 shots for 13 points. Artsiom Parakhouski came as advertised. The Belarusian big man logged 18 minutes of court time and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with four points. His offensive skills need some polishing, but the 6-foot-11 wide body sure knows how to box out and clean up on the glass, which could force Boston’s basketball operations to take a longer look at him. Ryan Thompson did a nice job of not only getting to the free throw line, but connecting on all nine shots he took from the charity stripe while scoring 13 points in 15 minutes.”

Zorgon, Welcome to Loud City – “Some might think that I’m not giving the Celtics enough credit. But until they show me otherwise, they were just your typical, run-of-the-mill Summer League team. They played better than the Thunder because individuals (like Harangody) were putting in great performances, while the Thunder didn’t really care. When the Thunder started playing like a team in the fourth, the Celtics easily crumbled under pressure. [...] On the Celtics side of things, the only players that looked like they had a chance of seeing NBA action were Luke Harangody and Oliver Lafayette. Harangody was an excellent scorer, and Lafayette was a decent all-around guard. ”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Janning landed in Boston. Celtics summer league coach Austin Ainge, who put the team together along with Ryan McDonough and Leo Papile, had seen Janning on tape last season and then in the predraft workout. ‘The best thing Matt has is his IQ,’ Ainge said. ‘He’s a great passer. He really knows how to find the open guy and make the right decision every time. He’s more athletic than people give him credit for. He’s used to having the ball in his hands. They ran a lot of plays for him last year in the games I watched. He’s pretty good.’”

Summer league coach Austin Ainge said Luke Harangody’s jump shot has really improved. Harangody is fighting for a contract this summer. (Boston Herald)

“I think it’s not a whole lot different,” coach Austin Ainge said of the forward’s standing as a draftee among free agents. “I mean, he’s trying to make the team like everybody else. He doesn’t have any guarantees. But obviously he has the advantage of the coaching staff and the front office really liking him. That’s why they selected him. But he’s a good player. His jump shot’s really improved the last couple of years.”

If you look at Harangody’s body his freshman year of college and his body now, you can tell he’s a hard worker. It’s no surprise, then, that his jumper has also gotten a lot better. Now, if only hard work could change Harangody’s height, wingspan and athleticism, the Celtics might really have themselves a player.

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