The Green Machine
Celtics legend JoJo White has seen his success on the parquet carry over to the golf course
By Gary Larrabee
Talk about a late bloomer. JoJo White, the legendary Boston Celtic who serves as the team’s Director of Special Projects and Community Relations representative, didn’t take up golf until four years ago, at the rather advanced age of 53. Now, with golf a central element in his duties with the 16-time world champions, Joseph Henry White, to the surprise of no one, has evolved into a most respectable player as a member of Ferncroft Country Club and a resident of Middleton.
“I wish I’d taken up the game earlier,” says White, one of the stars of the 1974 and 1976 NBA World Championship Celtic teams, the 1976 Championship Series MVP and a 10-year team member whose Number 10 was retired to the Boston Garden rafters in 1982. “But I always had more important things to do. Once I rejoined the Celtics in 2000, I had the perfect reason to get connected to the game: it would prove handy in my job.”
Indeed it has, since JoJo represents the Celtics in a great many charitable tournaments during the golf season. “Golf is a great vehicle for meeting people and doing good on behalf of the Celtics,” says White. “It works well for me because I love doing both.”
And the seven-time NBA All Star still loves shooting hoops in his driveway, as we found out during our session of 18 Questions.
1. NSG: What made you settle down at Ferncroft Country Club?
JJW: I knew the area from spending three years living in Danvers while playing with the Celtics, so I wanted to look at the towns bordering Ferncroft when we (with wife Debrah) returned to the area. We like the town of Middleton very much. This area around the club is very family-oriented. And with five children, well, that was a major factor in our decision to live here. Having a golf course close by made it one of the easiest decisions of my life. And this golf course, Ferncroft, well, I absolutely love it. It’s challenging but fair. It has beauty and nice people as members.
2. NSG: How important is golf in your life?
JJW: Right now it’s very important for two key reasons. One, it’s the only sport I’ve wanted to play since I retired from the NBA that offers so much challenge physically and mentally, like basketball. And two, it fits in perfectly with my role with the Celtics, where I play quite a bit of golf representing the Celtics in a wide range of charitable events.
3. NSG: Can you compare and contrast the two sports, golf and basketball?
JJW: Every time you think you’ve mastered golf, you’re reminded that you’ve mastered nothing. Same as basketball, where you can never take your success for granted or assume you’ll have one great game after another. Golf’s an ego-buster, more so than basketball. But that’s healthy. As a golfer, you always have loads of room for improvement. I always took pride in my fundamentals as a basketball player, and you need good fundamentals to be a good golfer. Same goes for the concentration side. I think I had good concentration as a player. Golf, too, is like anything else. If you start to get results you can’t play enough.
4. NSG: When did you start playing golf seriously?
JJW: I had clubs while I played at Kansas but never used them. I really got started four years ago, when I took over this job with the Celtics. With five children, there wasn’t much time before this. Besides, I was so wrapped up in basketball for so many years as a player, from high school, through my (All-America) years at Kansas, then with the Celtics. I had the interest all these years, but the opportunities weren’t there. Then Tiger Woods came along and he opened doors and created more interest all around. Quite frankly, he broke down some barriers, which has benefited golf and the golf population.
5. NSG: How is your golf game these days?
JJW: I’m playing to an 8 or 9 handicap; it depends on the day, like with most golfers. Generally speaking, I’m good off the tee and with the irons and fairway woods, but once I get close to the green and on the green, I’m a little shaky. I always need work with my chipping and putting. Sound familiar?
6. NSG: Watch any of the tour pros in particular for pointers?
JJW: Sure, I’m a student of the game. I marvel at the grace and ease that players like Ernie Els and Vijay Singh display. And Tiger, of course. He’s more of a power player, but I think people forget what a great finesse player he is as well. You can learn a lot by watching those three especially.
7. NSG: What is your best round at Ferncroft
JJW: 74, my career low round
8. NSG: Your career round elsewhere?
JJW: 76 at Doral, on the Monster course. That felt even better than the 74 at Ferncroft.
9. NSG: What are your favorite courses away from Ferncroft?
JJW: You can’t go wrong at The Pinehills and Waverly Oaks in Plymouth. There are a lot of great courses between there and the Cape. I haven’t played much outside Ferncroft around here, but I get all the challenge I can handle at Thomson.
10. NSG: What are you playing for equipment
JJW: I’ve been using Titleists all the way, with the Odyssey putter. But I’m having some Pings made.
11. NSG: You have an impressive basketball background beyond your playing days. Can you expand upon it?
JJW: I had a good stretch as chief recruiter and top assistant for Ted Owens at my alma mater, Kansas. I served as an assistant with John Calipari, who has made quite a name for himself (currently the head coach at Memphis University). When Ted retired in 1983, I was up for the head job, but they chose Larry Brown instead. Larry brought in his own assistants so I moved on.
12. NSG: Would you like to coach again?
JJW: My focus in basketball has changed. I enjoy being more the behind-the-scenes guy these days. I really enjoy the role I’m playing in the front office, but I’d like to some day help develop our talent, maybe mentor the guards. I’ve talked to Danny (Ainge, Celtics’ director of basketball operations) about working with the younger players. We’ll see what happens.
13. NSG: Do you still like to shoot your patented jumper at home or at Celtics practice?
JJW: Absolutely, whenever I can. I still adore the game. I shoot hoops in the driveway with my kids, usually with my two youngest children, Jessica, a sophomore at Masconomet Regional, and Jamie, our 11-year-old. They’re both good athletes and basketball players. It looks like Jamie is developing into the best shooter among the kids. (His other offspring: son Brian, 30, an actor with a regular role on “The Shield;” twins Ashley and Errin, 25, and Meka, 21, who just graduated from Kansas and is seeking a career in sports management). I’m grateful I’ve stayed in pretty good shape.
14. NSG: Do you ever pull out your tapes and watch some of your vintage Celtics heroics? It seems that ESPN Classic plays the Celtics’ triple-overtime victory in Game 5 of the 1976 Phoenix series, in which you played an exhausting 60 minutes, once a month during the NBA season.
JJW: Sure I pull out the tapes. They get me all charged up and when the best parts come up, I get chills. I can’t believe it’s been nearly 30 years since that series. I was fortunate to be hot most of the games and win the MVP award. I guess I was the most consistent, even though the other guys had good series, too. The key for me against Phoenix was staying focused and never letting up.
15. NSG: You still hold the team record for consecutive games played at 488. Has your remarkable durability as a basketball player helped you on the golf course.
JJW: Conditioning is key in both golf and basketball. Your best golfers are in the best shape with rare exception, and being in shape helps in extreme weather in particular, like in the heat or rain. Ever notice how much more tired you are after playing a round of golf in rain or cold? I don’t experience that fatigue. I’m in close to the same shape I was in with the Celtics. I’m right around 190-195 [pounds]. I know having a strong pair of legs and good cardiovascular makes a difference in how you swing the club and chip and putt.
16. NSG: What are your golfing goals and aspirations in 2004?
JJW: I’d like to be consistently under 80. Every time I go out to play I’d like to have the same consistent game from tee to green. Am I dreaming? I hope not. I’d like to play some competitive golf outside Ferncroft one of these years, but this year won’t be that time.
17. NSG: After changing much of the roster and losing Jim O’Brien as head coach, what are your impressions of the direction Danny Ainge is taking the team?
JJW: We’ve had our ups and downs, but I’m excited about Danny’s approach. He’s been through the Celtics’ system. He knows that expectations are high and that there is a tradition to the Celtics that no other NBA team has. He’s not afraid to make changes. He’s dedicated to what he believes will take the Celtics to the top and we all owe him our commitment and patience. Believe me, he’s got the Celtics headed in the right direction.
18. NSG: What’s your biggest issue with the Celtics’ rebuilding process?
JJW: How quickly Danny can put together the 12 permanent players he wants on the roster and how quickly they develop as individual players and Celtics teammates. If not [this season], hopefully by next season. The Celtics’ mystique has been rejuvenated before. It can be rejuvenated again.
