Boston, USA – As global interest in the Boston Celtics continues to surge, a look back at their historic draft selections reveals that the franchise has, on occasion, turned to St. Bonaventure University for talent.
Over the club's long and celebrated history, a total of three players from the upstate New York institution have been drafted by the Celtics, a statistic that underscores evolving scouting methodologies within professional basketball. The first St.
Bonaventure player to be drafted by the Celtics was Bob Fells, selected in the 1957 NBA Draft. Fells, a guard, was chosen in the fifth round.
While his professional career with the Celtics did not ultimately materialise, his selection marked an early instance of the franchise drawing from a smaller university programme. Following Fells, the next St.
Bonaventure alumnus to join the Celtics through the draft was Fred Crawford. A forward, Crawford was a second-round pick in the 1963 NBA Draft.
He went on to have a brief but notable career in the NBA, playing for several teams, though not for the Celtics themselves, immediately after being drafted. The most recent selection from St.
Bonaventure by the Boston Celtics occurred in 1970, when Greg Wojcik, a forward, was taken in the 12th round. Like his predecessors, Wojcik did not play for the Celtics in a regular-season game, illustrating the challenging path from draft selection to a sustained NBA career, particularly for later-round picks.
This pattern of drafting a small number of players from a specific university is not unique to St. Bonaventure or the Celtics.
It often reflects the geographical scouting priorities, coaching connections, and specific team needs prevalent in different eras of professional basketball. In the modern NBA, scouting has become a global enterprise, with teams increasingly looking beyond traditional college powerhouses to international leagues and developmental programmes.