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Starting school early means leaving school
early, and Guarilia graduated at sixteen. By then he was a strapping lad,
big, strong and athletic. He found himself being recruited by George
Washington’s legendary coach, Bill Reinhart, but Reinhart and the coaching
staff felt that he was too young to succeed in a major college environment.
They suggested that he enroll at a smaller prep school first, and then
transfer. Guarilia obliged, spending a year at Potomac State College in
Keyser, West Virginia.
Potomac State proved to be the perfect
stopping place for the young Guarilia. He was able to acclimate himself to
college life without the added pressure of the big city, and he was able to
play basketball immediately, which wouldn’t have been the case had he gone
directly to George Washington. Competing against quality West Virginia
Conference schools, such as NAIA power Fairmont State, and West Virginia
Tech’s 100-point-per-game Century Club, Guarilia was able to log big minutes
and gain invaluable game experience in the process. He also grew three
inches, from 6’-3” to 6’-6”, and began to excel underneath the basket. It
was just the type of physical and mental maturation that Reinhart had hoped
would take place, and by 1956 Guarilia – now three inches taller and 70
pounds heavier than his senior season at Duryea High School - was clearly
ready to don a GW uniform.
As a sophomore, Guarilia averaged an
incredible 18.6 rebounds-per-game, putting him among the nation’s leaders in
that category. He was an overnight sensation, a 1950s version of Charles
Barkley. His relentless play on the glass became his calling card, and
helped trigger Reinhart’s classic fast break. He finished his next two
seasons as one college basketball’s top rebounders, catching the attention
of Reinhart’s close friend and former pupil, the brash head coach of the
Boston Celtics – Arnold “Red” Auerbach.
Auerbach had spent much of the 1950s winning
games in Boston but never advancing to the NBA Finals. That all changed in
1956, when Auerbach and team founder Walter Brown engineered the biggest
trade in NBA history, sending “Easy” Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks in
exchange for the draft rights to Bill Russell. In Russell, Auerbach finally
had the missing piece to a dynasty-in-the-making. He had his rebounder,
shot-blocker, and fast break triggerman, all rolled into one. Russell and
fellow rookie Tom Heinsohn joined established stars Bob Cousy and Bill
Sharman, and the Celtics captured their first NBA championship following the
1956-57 season. An ankle injury to Russell prevented a repeat, but the
Celtics were once again champions in 1958-59.
Guarilia was drafted in the second round
following that title run, with the goal of providing additional toughness
underneath the basket. He didn’t disappoint, proving himself ever ready and
always capable, doing whatever Auerbach needed to make the Celtics a better
team. He practiced hard and he played hard, earning the respect and
admiration of Boston’s established stars. Guarilia was rewarded for his
unselfish commitment to team, as the Celtics repeated as NBA champions. It
was a third title in four years, and the Celtic Dynasty was officially
underway. Guarilia was right smack in the middle of it all.
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