Celtics rookie spoke to Kayla Burton, Eddie House, and Marc D’Amico on Celtics Media Day about his outstanding career in high school as a quarterback in Nebraska
If Drake Maye doesn't pan out with the New England Patriots, perhaps head coach Jerod Mayo should pay a visit to the Auerbach Center.
We're only half-joking; the Boston Celtics' first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Baylor Scheierman, also happens to be a high school football legend. Before choosing a career in hoops, Scheierman was one of the best quarterback prospects in his home state of Nebraska and was actually recruited to play college football.
The numbers are eye-popping: As a senior at Aurora High School in Nebraska, Scheierman threw for a state-record 3,942 yards and 59 touchdowns in 13 games while guiding his team to a Class C championship. His highlight reel looks like something out of a video game.
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So, what led Scheierman to pursue a career in basketball over trying to make it as a quarterback? The 24-year-old joined co-hosts Kayla Burton, Marc D'Amico and Eddie House on NBC Sports Boston's Celtics Media Day live stream show to discuss his football past.
"Basketball was always my first love, what I always wanted to do growing up," Scheierman said, as seen in the video player above. "Football kind of didn't come to fruition until later on, and by that point I was already committed to South Dakota State. That's what I always wanted to do."
Scheierman admitted that several "mid-major FCS schools" recruited him to play football, and that he even paid a visit to the University of Nebraska. But the Cornhuskers wanted him to change positions, a request that may have tipped him in the direction of pursuing basketball over football.
"Nebraska wanted me to play tight end at the time," Scheierman recalled. "I was like, 'Yeah I'm not doing that.'"
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The rest is history: The 6-foot-6 wing joined the basketball team at South Dakota State, where he spent three seasons before transferring to Creighton in 2022. He averaged a career-high 18.5 points per game as a senior for the Bluejays and caught the eye of the Celtics, who selected him 30th overall with their first first-round pick since 2020.
Scheierman hasn't completely forgotten his QB background, however. He's an underrated playmaker who averaged nearly four assists per game with Creighton last season and credits his court vision both to his days as a quarterback and taking interest in one of basketball's all-time great court maestros: Pete Maravich.
"In middle school, my favorite player of all time was Pistol Pete, so watching him and just how he passes with a little bit of a flair," Scheierman said. "Growing up I had this movie called, 'The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend' talking about his experience in high school. I watched that so many times growing up.
"So yeah, that's kind of where my passing flair of the game kind of came from. And then I played quarterback in high school as well."
Based on his resume, "played quarterback" is quite the understatement. But if Scheierman's passing ability translates to the NBA level, that will go a long way toward him carving out a role on a loaded Celtics roster.
Check out Scheierman's full interview below or on YouTube.