Way to go, Ray!

I call myself a Celtics fan, but its only because Ray Allen, my favorite basketball player of all time, is on the team. I have loved Ray since he played at the University of Connecticut. When he wore #34 for the Huskies from 1993 - 1996, I watched every single game. I would cut pictures out of the newspaper and tape them on my wall. I was a teenage girl with a "Hot Guy" wall ... and a special space devoted to pictures of Ray Allen.

During his time playing for UConn, Ray scored 1,922 points and is still third on the school's all-time scorers list. In 1995-1996 he scored a record 115 three pointers. He left UConn after his junior year for the NBA. A ten time All-star and a member of the 2000 USA Olympic basketball team, Ray played for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Seattle Supersonics before coming home to his adoring fans in the northeast to play for the Boston Celtics. I was so happy when he got traded and even happier when the Celtics won the NBA Championship in 2008. And tonight, my favorite player surpassed Reggie Miller as the all-time 3 point leader at 2,561.

He's 35 years old with 15 NBA seasons under his belt, but he will always be Ray-Ray to me. I love Ray for his calm, even-keeled approach to the game. He has a dedication that is almost unheard of, showing up 4 hours before game time to practice his free-throws and field goals. This season ESPN has chosen to follow the Celtics for their series "The Association." In an episode that aired in early January, Ray showed up to practice at Madison Square Garden hours before the C's played the Knicks. He shared the floor with the dance team. The girls in their warm-ups were rehearsing their dance numbers for the night as Ray quietly worked the floor sinking 3's from every possible angle.

I remember a funny story I heard a long time ago. A girl I knew had gone to a UConn Women's game at Gampel Pavilion. She was sitting in the stands and her brother, sitting to her left, kept poking her and whispering "you're sitting next to Ray Allen." She said her brother did this about five times before she finally just yelled back at him -- "Who the hell is Ray Allen?!?" Then, she felt a tap on her other shoulder. She turned to her right and was face to face with a tall, lean, black man. "Hi," he said, "I'm Ray Allen."

Yeah, I'm guessing that kind of thing probably wouldn't happen nowadays.