MIT Basketball Class of 2014

Introducing the newest members of the MIT basketball program, the class of 2014...

Interview with Former MIT Assistant Basketball Coach Gunnar Hagstrom

In his recent trip back to Boston, former MIT assistant basketball coach Gunnar Hagstrom took time out of his busy schedule to talk about what he has been up to since leaving the MIT basketball program prior to last season. In this clip, Gunnar talks about his experiences living abroad and his plans for next year. While abroad, Gunnar has also picked up some Greek and Turkish, and he drops some lines in this interview (see translation guide below).



Turkish translation guide:
tamam = okay
günaydın = good morning
teşekkürler = thanks
çok sağol = thank you very much

Danny "Hollywood" Kanamori

During his MIT basketball career, former MIT point guard Danny Kanamori put on some great shows. As a freshman in 2001-02, Kanamori recorded the only triple-double in MIT history (12 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds against Springfield on 1/12/2002) and eventually finished his career second on the career assists list and fourth on the all-time steals and three-point percentage lists.

In addition to his basketball prowess, Kanamori has also had some acting highlights (off the court). He took a year break from MIT in 2004 to play a role in the movie "Coach Carter" as one of the players on the Richmond Oilers team, coached by Samuel L. Jackson. Kanamori parlayed that role into some other movie spots, such as the part of the "Drunk Jock" in "Bickford Schmeckler's Cool Ideas" (2006) and one of the leads in the 2007 release "Alien Games" (you can watch the full movie here). Kanamori's most recent work can be found in the advertising industry, along with another Boston basketball great: Rajon Rondo. In this spot for Red Bull, Kanamori plays some pickup games with Rondo and a few other players. If you are having trouble spotting Kanamori in the clip, just try looking for the player late on defense and flying at his man in a last chance effort to make a defensive play on the ball, and that will most likely be Danny.

Jimmy Bartolotta Sits Down with The Blog

It has been over a year since MIT made its surprise run to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2009. The leader of that team, and MIT's all-time leading scorer, Jimmy Bartolotta has rode the success and media exposure from his senior season to a life he never envisioned entering MIT. The whirlwind began when MIT shocked the DIII world by winning their first ever NEWMAC tourney. After enjoying some success in the NCAA tournament, Bartolotta was awarded every major personal honor possible for a DIII basketball player, including D3hoops.com Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, ESPN/COSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, and the prestigious Jostens Award. Following the season, Bartolotta was invited to the site of the DI Final Four to compete in the NABC/Hershey's Senior All-Star Game. While there, Bartolotta was the media darling, receiving congratulations from Wisonsin head coach Bo Ryan, and being featured in articles in the New York Times, Boston Globe (written by Bob Ryan), the Denver Post, and ESPN, among others. With the media flurry, Bartolotta was approached by many international agents, finally signing with Mario Scotti of the Two Points agency. Following that, Bartolotta signed with Air Avellino of Italy's Serie A, joining former NBA and NCAA stars such as Dee Brown (Illinois), DeMarcus Nelson (Duke), and Chevon Troutman (Pittsburgh), as well as internationl stars such as Cenk Akyol (Turkey).

In this two-part interview, Bartolotta discusses his time in Italy, as well as his observations and expectations of the current MIT squad.

Part 1


Part 2


Check back to mitbasketball.blogspot.com for full coverage of MIT basketball.