Former Butler Guard Alex Barlow Joins Boston Celtics’ Staff

For four years, Alex Barlow was a walk-on point guard for the Butler Bulldogs who, at 5’11”, 187 pounds, looked like someone who would play college basketball on sheer will and determination before fading away upon graduation. Earlier this week, he proved everyone wrong.

Per Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star, Barlow has joined his former head coach Brad Stevens on the Boston Celtics’ staff. Barlow will serve as a video assistant and, for his entire college career, had his sights set on coaching. He picked Butler because of Stevens’ coaching abilities, and now will get to learn from him again on the professional level.

In terms of his new position, Barlow stayed humble.

“Two years ago, when (Stevens) left to work for the Celtics, I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Barlow said. “I don’t know that I could have told you that I’d work for the Celtics out of college. Two years later that opportunity has presented itself, and it’s everything I could have asked for.”

Just what Barlow’s duties as a video assistant will entail remains to be seen, but the fact remains that he’ll have a great coaching mentor from whom to learn. Stevens went 166-49 in five seasons at Butler, turning the little-known team (then of the Horizon League) into a household name as he helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Championship games. Even though his team lost both times, they had made themselves known.

In two seasons with the Celtics, during a transitionary phase, Stevens has gone 65-99 and brought the team to the playoffs this past season. There, Boston was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

Now, the team will look to get better with an assistant in Barlow on the staff, who knows Stevens’ system well and will look to help incorporate it better this coming season.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

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