Featured Alumni
Jeff Hines
Waltham High School
- 2016 Waltham High School Hall of Fame Inductee
- Varsity Letters Basketball, Football, Baseball
- Greater Boston League All Star 1999 and 2000
- Boston Herald and Boston Globe All Scholastic
- Massachusetts Nominee Finalist for McDonald’s All-American Game
- Most Valuable Player Waltham Varsity Basketball 1999 and 2000
- Team Captain, Most Wins in a Season, North Semi-Finals, 20-4 record 2000
- 1000 Point Scorer
Babson College
- 1488 Career Points
- Career steals leader, 3rd in assists.
- 3 time NEWMAC First Team All-Conference 2001, 2002 and 2003
- 2002 NCAA Sweet 16
- 2003 ECAC Champions
- 2004 NCAA Tournament
- 96 wins in 4 year career
Best Memories playing for the Middlesex Magic
The way we were true definition of team basketball. I never played with a more unselfish group, and the friends and relationships I made within this program I still have and cherish to this day. I also had a tremendous time traveling and playing across the country. Our trips to camps and national tournaments in Florida, Las Vegas and other areas were incredible. On the court we were such a cohesive unit, and off the court we had more fun than anyone. Also, being coach by Coach Crotty Sr. He and I always thought the exact same way and he believed in me and our entire team. We took on his persona and we knew we could compete with anyone we played against.
Also being inducted into the Middlesex Magic Hall of Fame meant everything to me!
Current Profession
VP North American Sales at Acquia (Computer Software company in Boston).
Chris Hurley
Boston College High School
- Undefeated Massachusetts Division 1 State Champions 2006-2007
- South region MVP
- Catholic Conference Co MVP
- Globe All Scholastic Team
- Boston Herald All Scholastic
- Division 1 player of the year in the South Region
Saint Michael’s College
- Received Full Athletic Scholarship
- Northeast 10 Conference Honor Roll Recipient
Best Memories playing for the Middlesex Magic
My final year of AAU we were down in nationals at the wide world of sports complex. Our team was undersized against many opponents we faced. We had four guards and one big playing at all times. I can always remember Coach Crotty Sr. telling us to use the height difference to our advantage. Those games were some of the best games I played in because he allowed us to go out there play aggressive on defense and get out and run. This forced to communicate and work as a team in order to beat teams that were more athletic, or taller than us. This really stuck with me into my senior year of high school and beyond. The idea of forgetting about individual accomplishments and focus on team goals. That’s when basketball is at its best is. When everyone buys into a goal and the team is all works to accomplish it.
How the Middlesex Magic helped me the most
The Middlesex Magic helped me on and off the court. It made me realize that if I wanted to purse my dream of playing basketball at the college level, not only was it important to work hard on the court, but even more important to work hard in the class room. I believe the work ethic that was developed over my time playing basketball translated to my success in the class room. Making me realize that nothing is given one must earn it.
Current Profession
I work in finance at a company in Boston called MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services). My role is an internal wholesaler within the retail distribution side of the company. I work with financial advisors (i.e, Merrill Lynch, Edward Jones, etc.). What I do is provide solutions for financial advisors and their clients to use as investment vehicles for various financial goals (i.e, 401(k), 529, IRA, etc.) The territory I cover is Florida Pan-handle, Alabama, Mississippi, and New Orleans.
Tyrone Hughes
Basketball Accomplishments
East Boston High School
MVP Boston City League 2005
Post Graduate year at the Taft School
Two Time Captain at Brandeis University
Best Memories Playing for the Middlesex Magic
My fondest memory of being a Magic is playing in Las Vegas in front of Mike K from duke! Another memory that sticks with me was playing with Greg Vetrano and Jason Rife and almost beating OJ Mayo’s team in Pearland, Texas! OJ hit a buzzer beater to beat us by one point, but we competed with all we had!
How the Middlesex Magic helped me the most
Playing with the Magic helped me understand the importance of friendships, networking and higher education, as well as hard work, dedication and setting goals. I wanted to go to college and give back to my community, and because of the generosities and opportunities created by the Magic program I was able to do both!
Current Profession
I’m working as the marketing manager of a spirits company where I am in charge of new sales placements, staff training, and brand development in New England.
BJ Dunne
Rivers School
Team Captain and Named at Independent School League (ISL) All Star
Bates College
Member of 2006-07 team that was ranked #12 in the national polls
Best Memories playing for the Middlesex Magic
Playing competitive basketball traveling across the country. Playing in Las Vegas Big Time tournament and the AAU Nationals in Orlando really opened my eyes to how much great basketball there is across the country. We played against Paul Harris, OJ Mayo, Greg Oden, Mike Conley and more. It was a great experience to compete against many players that went on to become NBA stars. The Magic continued to further my love for the game of basketball, and taught me strong core values like teamwork and sacrifice.
BJ Dunne, Head Coach Vassar Men’s Basketball
Current profession
Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Vassar College. 2013-14 set program record for wins in a season (19) & conference wins in a season (10), conference coach of the year. Recognized by Under Armour and the NABC as one of the 30 best coaches under 30 years old (only D3 coach on the list)
Casey Gibbons
High School and College Basketball Accomplishments:
School record, points in a game (49) @ Weston High
School record, points in a game (46) @ Phillips Exeter Academy
Captain Weston High School & Phillips Exeter Academy
Played @ Cornell University (freshman year). Played against Syracuse (Carmelo Anthony) & Georgia Tech (Chris Bosh) in 2002.
Transferred to Williams College (sophomore year). Member of 2004 Final Four team.
Co-captain @ Williams
NESCAC All-Academic team @ Wililams
What are your best memories playing with Middlesex Magic?
My best memories of playing for the Middlesex Magic were really the lifelong friendships that I built with coaches and teammates. Most of these memories stem from the work of the greatest coach I’ve ever played for, Michael Crotty Sr. He was an incredible coach and friend, and he had a profoundly positive impact my basketball career and in my life. Basketball highlights include defeating the Illinois Warriors (AAU National Champions) at the AAU National Championships in 2001.
What is your current profession?
I am currently the Co-founder and CEO of Maki Fund, a software development agency that specializes in building new digital products and services for startups and Fortune 500 companies.
Middlesex Magic helped me the most by emphasizing the importance of getting the best education I could achieve. Most other programs were purely focused on basketball but the Magic was truly about academics first. Winning was fun but nothing made Coach Crotty happier than helping his players get into the best schools possible. I don’t think I would have taken school as seriously as I did or pursued the colleges that I did without Coach Crotty pushing me to reach my academic potential. I’m truly forever grateful for that.
Connaughton Works on Ways to Get Playing Time
TRIBUNE PHOTO: JOHN LARIVIERE – Pat Connaughton is introduced during Fan Fest on Sunday at Moda Center.
Now that he is past the rookie stage, Pat Connaughton hopes he is ready to take the next step in his NBA career.
The Trail Blazers’ second-year shooting guard was mostly an afterthought for coach Terry Stotts last season, his game action coming primarily in garbage time.
Connaughton would love to change that this season.
“I spent the summer working on all the things I need to do at this level to have success, get meaningful minutes and help this team win,” Connaughton said Sunday after the Blazers’ Fan Fest scrimmage at Moda Center.
The 6-5 Connaughton looked sharp and relaxed in the scrimmage, scoring 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting with five rebounds. The former Notre Dame standout, chosen with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2015 draft, was 2 for 4 from 3-point range.
“Pat had a good rhythm and shot it with no hesitation,” Stotts said.
It was a continuation of Connaughton’s play during Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in five games. It was Connaughton’s long 3-point shot in sudden-death overtime that beat Utah.
“I came in with a chip on my shoulder, thinking, ‘This is my summer-league team,’” said Connaughton, 23. “The way I played helped me gain confidence going into this season, and helped me know what I had to do to help this team.”
And that’s by being more than just a 3-point shooter.
“After last season, I replayed in my mind what I needed to do to get on the floor,” said the Arlington, Massachusetts native, who played only 152 minutes in the regular season and playoffs as a rookie. “It’s been so long since I’ve had to worry about that. It took me a month as a freshman to get into the starting lineup at Notre Dame.
“This season, I want to make sure I don’t just come in and take a shot, and if I make it, I stay in the game; if I miss it, I don’t. I want to be able to provide something on the defensive end. I want to be able to use my athleticism in ways to help the team. I’d like to be able to get comfortable in the game before one shot makes or breaks my minutes.”
Immediately after last season, Connaughton returned to Massachusetts to work on strength and conditioning and to hone his basketball skills with Mike Crotty Jr., the point guard on Williams College’s 2003 NCAA Division III championship squad.
“We worked on ball-handling, taking shots off ball screens, shooting off the dribble, being able to make the mid-range shots,” Connaughton said. “It’s about building on being just being a catch-and-shoot guy. It’s all about the confidence you have, and the confidence comes from the work you put in.
“Last year, I was a confident kid, but I didn’t have the polished skills I needed coming from college as a 4/3 (power forward/small forward) to the NBA as primarily a 2 (shooting guard).”
After summer league, Connaughton returned to the Boston area and worked on drills provided by Blazers assistant coaches.
“It was great to take those back home and work on them whenever and however many times a day I wanted to,” he said.
Stotts notes an improvement in Connaughton’s game.
“Pat has put in a lot of work, particularly with shooting but also with his ball-handling,” the fifth-year Blazer mentor said. “I like his determination. He’s strong, he’s quick, he’s athletic.
“All young players need to get better in a lot of areas. At Pat’s position, it’s about being a consistent shooter, ball-handling, defending.”
Problem is, Connaughton is on a team that is loaded at shooting guard. Starter CJ McCollum is the reigning NBA Most Improved Player Award winner. This summer, backup Allen Crabbe signed a four-year, $75-million contract extension. Then there is versatile swing man Evan Turner, brought to Portland with a four-year, $70-million deal. That wouldn’t seem to leave a lot of minutes for Connaughton, though he professes not to be discouraged.
“The way the NBA’s going, it’s getting smaller,” Connaughton said. “You might need another shooter coming off the bench. It’s about working, learning from CJ and ‘Dame’ (Damian Lillard), and providing something off the bench. I need to be in a position where I’m not a liability on defense, and I can help out in a combination of ways.”
NOTES: Portland plays host to Utah Monday night in the preseason opener for both teams. “We’ve been working out together, we’ve been conditioning together, we’ve been swimming together, we’ve been playing pickup games together,” Lillard said. “Practice was sharp from the beginning. I feel like we’re in a good spot right now and we’re prepared for the first game.” … Blazers players huddled together during the national anthem prior to Sunday night’s scrimmage. “We wanted to show our brotherhood, that we stand up for something, in support of what a lot of other athletes are doing,” Lillard said. “We came up with it as a group. It was what everybody believes and what everybody is comfortable with.” Lillard was told some believe it was a disrespectful act since the players did not look at the flag during the anthem. “When you talk about a protest, we stand up for the national anthem to honor the flag, to honor the country we represent,” he said. “I’m a proud American, but the reason behind the protest, I share that same belief being an African-American. Every guy on the team shares that belief as well.” Lillard said the Blazers players will follow suit again Monday night.