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Eddie House Finds a Home in Boston by Mike Scandura, Maroon & Gold Illustrated With apologies to Peter, Paul and Mary, “Eddie House’s bags were packed and he was ready to go...” Which is exactly what he did after he received a phone call from Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. House, who played for Arizona State from 1996-2000 and finished as the Sun Devils’ all-time leading scorer, was a free agent after spending last season with New Jersey. “Danny gave me a call right before the deal was done,” said House, who has now played for seven teams during a seven-year NBA career. “He said the deal was in the works, and he asked me if I would like to be a Celtic if Kevin [Garnett] comes. “I told him if that deal comes through, I’m definitely on my way. My bags are already packed. My ticket is punched. The deal went through and soon after that I was on my way.” The deal, of course, was one of the all-time heists when the Celtics obtained Garnett from Minnesota, giving the Celtics a third stud to go with holdover Paul Pierce and recently acquired Ray Allen. “When Kevin came I was like, ‘They’re trying to win — right now,’” House recalled. “That was something I wanted to be a part of, a team that wants to win and is making the right moves to win.” House certainly is making the right moves, becoming an invaluable player off the bench for the Celtics, who through Jan. 21 owned the NBA’s best record at 33-6. House has provided Boston with instant offense, especially from three-point range. While averaging 8.2 points and 20.6 minutes through his first 38 games, House was shooting 40.9 percent (65 of 159) from beyond the arc. Ironically, some of his toughest games have come during intra-squad scrimmages when the Green team (Garnett, Pierce, Allen, Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins) battles the White team (i.e. the non-starters). “We’re guys that are coming off the bench trying to earn minutes, but we’re also trying to get the starters better, and in turn they get us better,” House said. “We compete at a high level in practice. We bang each other up so it’s a little easier in a game because teams don’t know our plays like we know our plays. “Guys jump our plays in practice, and you’ve got to counter and look for a fourth option. In a game, most of the time you don’t get there. It’s good that we work that hard and battle each other.” While House felt the team bonded during training camp — especially when it went overseas to Italy and England — he did not envision a start that’s shattered various team records. “I never thought we’d have the record we have,” House admitted. “I definitely thought we would be playing in May and June. But as for the start we’re having, I don’t think any of us envisioned it. “We’re taking it one game at a time. That’s why we have such a good record.” Maroon & Gold Illustrated is an annual, 10-issue magazine that is dedicated to covering ASU Athletics. Additionally, anyone who donates $100 or more annually to the Sun Devil Club receives a complementary subscription. For more information on the Sun Devil Club, please
visit www.sundevilclub.com.
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