NBA Notebook: How Neemias Queta became first NBA champion from Portugal with the Celtics

Utah State assistant coach Eric Peterson prepared a highlight tape of a big man prospect for head coach Craig Smith in 2018, having joined Smith for their first year together after the school went 17-17 with only one player taller than 6-8 the previous season. Peterson thought he needed to sell Smith on an intriguing yet underdeveloped seven-footer from Portugal, hardly a college recruiting hot bed. The country had never produced an NBA player. 

Peterson, who scouted overseas in his previous jobs, never would've searched Portugal either if he hadn't asked several talent evaluators he knew while coaching in junior college for five prospects they believed everyone overlooked at the time. All of them listed Neemias Queta. One, a Washington Wizards scout at the time, pushed Queta hard, so Peterson dove into the film and how Queta's game expanded over time. 

"He's like, 'Hey, coach, I got this big kid I wanna show you,'" Smith told Boston Sports Journal. "He had like a three-minute clip tape of Neemy's highlights and I watched about 45 seconds of it and I looked at Petey and I said, 'We'll take him. This guy is a pro.'" 

Queta returned to Portugal this summer as the country's first NBA draft selection, player and champion, and though he couldn't bring the trophy as he hoped, he preferred the balance between receiving love from the locals and being able to remain as low-key as possible. It's harder these days. He attended a clinic, reunited with family and friends and celebrated with them before returning to Boston. Queta, who's started five games for the reigning champion Celtics since the trip, didn't feel overly famous there. Peterson, who visited Queta shortly after he committed to Utah State, having only received mild interest from Saint Mary's and Texas Tech, saw a different scene even six years ago. Kids playing soccer who knew Queta would run toward him when he arrived in his neighborhood and others would call him out driving through the streets with Peterson. Despite its proximity to Portugal's capital, Queta's home resembled a small town. Everyone seemed to know him. 

Growing up in Vale da Amoreira in a two-bedroom apartment with his entire family, a roughly 20-mile drive across the Tagus River from Lisbon, Queta remembered playing in the streets and riding bikes prior to picking up a basketball for the first time at 10 years old. He never heard of the sport until he followed his sister to a gymnastics tryout with Barreirense, a football club that also hosted other events like chess, kickboxing and basketball close to home. Queta made friends and enjoyed the experience, despite not knowing how to dribble. So he kept going back, playing with the club for eight years and gradually improving. Their gym didn't have seats on the side and only had a small balcony above it. He later spent a season with Benfica's B team one hour away, meeting a friend there who would soon move to Boston. Queta began forming his own college basketball dreams.

"I wanted to go to dinner with him. And I was like, 'Hey, Neemy, tell me your favorite place,'" Peterson told BSJ. "I'm thinking of some authentic Portuguese food, somewhere awesome, and I traveled to Europe a ton and so I'm expecting this mom-and-pop place, authentic to Portugal and you know where he took me? American Diner. He wanted to get a burger ... and so I sat there and he had a Coca-Cola, french fries and an American burger."

Queta already spoke English, which he learned in part through watching shows and movies on Netflix. He listened to American music and preferred the idea of playing regular minutes for a college team rather than sitting behind a 30-year-old on a professional one in Europe. Peterson first watched Queta play at 190 pounds, a possible reason other schools passed on him. By the time Utah State enrolled him, jumping through all the hoops of international registration after already recruiting him late, Queta arrived shortly before school began in the fall having missed all the summer workouts. He had never visited the US. 

Future Cavs forward Sam Merrill, entering his junior year with Utah State, had texted Peterson repeatedly about their mysterious new big man. Nobody knew what to expect. Queta arrived on campus without a winter jacket, weighing just over 210 pounds at that point, and visited the dining hall in awe. At school in Portugal, they served only one meal, perhaps a stew, and now he could devour unlimited amounts of the junk he loved. He wanted to try Culver's, Five Guys and In-and-Out upon arrival in Logan, Utah. Teammate Diogo Brito joined many of Queta's visits to Chick-fil-A and Racheritos for burritos. Brito, a junior from Povoa de Varzim in Portugal, had lived in the US since high school and helped convince Queta to join him at Utah State and eased his transition. They spoke in Portuguese, and sometimes argued in their native language until it became too much for Smith. The transition wasn't easy for Queta, home-sick entering a new weather climate, a culture different than even the rest of the US and he felt the mountainous elevation on the basketball court right away. 

"(In) the first workout, I thought he was gonna die," Peterson said. "He was gassed. He was falling over and ... the entire team was up there in the window watching him work out because we needed a big guy and everybody wanted to see who he was ... and he looked awful. He's falling over ... and then a week later it was like, 'OK, this kid's got a real chance,' and then a week after that it was like, 'man, he's gonna start for us.' That's how fast he's picking up on stuff. A lot of the drills he just had never done before. A lot of footwork, pivoting. I think the weight room, the first couple weeks really kicked his butt, because we just have different resources over here. I think the nutrition really helped him put on weight early. So there was just so much new stuff for him ... (being) really far away from his family ... he never wavered ... he's like, 'coach. I'm here for a reason. I wanna be a pro.'" 

Queta finished second in scoring on the team with 11.8 points per game in 2018-19, behind only Merrill, and blocked 2.4 shots each night while shooting 61.4% from the field. The Aggies won 28-of-35 games, above expectations, while a 15-3 mark in Mountain West Conference play set them up for a No. 25 ranking in the final AP poll, a conference tournament title and a March Madness bid, where they lost in round one. Queta's voice echoed on the floor. In an early practice huddle, he told teammates, I got the paint, and his feel for the game stood out so much that Smith would ask him for his ideas during halftime. On defense, while the team's perimeter defenders mostly guarded their space, Queta could ice certain screens, trap others and memorize how they would guard a variety of players and sets in different ways because Queta could keep track of multiple plans. On offense, he flashed as a passer out of double-teams.

That led him to test the NBA Draft as a freshman, a process he felt overwhelmed by. He guarded Tacko Fall in the combine, didn't have a full offseason the previous summer and still didn't weigh enough. Smith remembered him performing fine in the weight room, but not truly loving it. It became his only workout when he tweaked his knee playing in a U-20 tournament later that summer for Portugal. Between the level he saw that the NBA required and his setback, he prioritized diet, lifting and smoothies, reaching roughly 240 pounds in his junior year. Queta also increased his free throw shooting from 56.5% as a freshman to 70.7% two seasons later. Smith said their top-five rankings in defensive rebounding, defense and opposing field goal percentage had only been done four times in college prior to Utah State doing it in back-to-back seasons between Queta's COVID-shortened sophomore year and as a junior, when they reached March Madness again. 

"He’s way stronger (now)," Merrill told BSJ earlier this month before his Cavs played the Celtics. "He doesn’t even look like the same human. He’s put on so much muscle, upper body muscle. That’s the biggest thing, him getting stronger, being able to handle those big centers. He’s always been a great defensive player, because he’s really smart and he’s a great communicator and obviously he’s super competitive, so he was always gonna be a good rim protector. I think for him, it was just about getting stronger and he definitely did that.” 

When the Raptors pushed the Celtics to overtime two weeks ago, Queta searched for Toronto guard Davion Mitchell after the game. Queta wanted his jersey, which Mitchell gave him without a second thought despite needing to usually ask the Raptors' equipment staff for permission. After posting 12 points, eight rebounds and starting his fourth NBA start, Queta carried the Mitchell jersey on his shoulder with a smile on his face through the TD Garden hallway behind the court. Mitchell and Queta won the Summer League championship one month after Sacramento selected Mitchell No. 9 overall and Queta in the second round at 39. Yet Mitchell gave all the credit to Queta, who led the Kings over the Aaron Nesmith-led Celtics in the Vegas title game. Mitchell could defend harder on the perimeter knowing he had Queta guarding behind him, and Queta made for an easy lob target. 

The Kings mostly relegated Queta to the G-League, playing only 20 games across his first two seasons given that the team already had Domantas Sabonis, Marvin Bagley III, Alex Len and others before landing Tristan Thompson in a trade with Boston. Queta finished second in 2023 G-League MVP voting, leading the team to sign him to a lightly guaranteed extension that they changed their mind about when veteran JaVale McGee became available. Sacramento needed a roster spot, so they waived Queta, who appreciated the time he spent there and what he learned from Sabonis, Mitchell, Mike Brown and others, but believed he would play more elsewhere. Queta assessed several options before signing with the Celtics on a two-way contract last fall, already knowing his old friend from Benfica who still lived in the city. Boston also stood closer to Portugal. 

"I ain’t gonna lie, Neemy was always nice to me," Mitchell told BSJ. "I think it was just a matter of opportunity. He's showing what he's been doing. He's a smarter player. He's a stronger player, of course. He got stronger over the years, but he was always nice to me and he just got an opportunity. Was I surprised (the Kings cut him)? Not really. I’m kind of glad they did, because he wasn't ever gonna get an opportunity there. Never. Even the backup big now (Alex) Len only played sometimes eight minutes per game. Sometimes he played a lot. It was up-and-down and Neemy didn't need that. I feel like Neemy needed a chance to learn from some vets like Al Horford, a really good vet room ... being around a championship team.” 

During training camp last month, Joe Mazzulla met with rookie Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh and Queta, some of the roster's players who might not receive regular opportunities early in the Celtics' schedule. He reminded Queta about the spurts of playing time he received when the Celtics faced multiple injuries at center last winter, and how Queta's performances won them multiple games. Across three west coast contests last December, Queta averaged 10.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG before playing extended minutes later in January. He nearly reached the 50-game NBA limit for two-way players before Boston converted him to an NBA contract in April, then he agreed to a new three-year deal this fall. 

Queta seized his early opportunities with Kristaps Porziņģis out to begin this season, scoring 12 points against the Wizards and Hornets before earning his first NBA start at Atlanta. Mazzulla pulled him early that night as a reminder of how seriously the Celtics take his potential, then started him against Golden State, challenging him to switch onto Steph Curry admirably on defense in a close loss. One week ago, a survey of NBA bigs found Queta defended guards more often than any other player. The Celtics switched him, had him roam like Robert Williams III once did and he became the first Celtics player since Williams III to post four blocks, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals for Boston alongside 12 points against the Clippers last week.

Fans in Portugal have followed coverage of the Celtics on social media since Queta joined them, inquiring about his progress, advocating for a larger role and now celebrating his success as one of the best stories early in the team's attempt to repeat. Brito, who now plays in Spain, noticed basketball's popularity growing outside of the small circles where it was popular when Queta emerged as a teenager. He credited his former teammate then. Now, Queta's journey and championship have only increased the sport's popularity there, long overshadowed by soccer and other sports. Brito and Queta discovered basketball through family members later in life, and now younger children can imagine a path to playing it professionally. Smith watched them idolizing Queta during one international competition he attended in Portugal. They held cardboard cutouts with Queta's face on them, the concessions sold Portugal jerseys with his name on the back, and when he returned to school, they interacted with any Queta highlight the school's social media would post. 

Brito looks forward to playing in the 2025 EuroBasket with Queta, remembering their time as roommates when Queta hid his missing front tooth he lost playing overseas with his upper lip smiling throughout the following college season, only revealing the gap after. Peterson and Smith reminisced about watching his film for the first time after Queta's draft night and how an opposing scout listed one word prior to a preseason tournament when Queta broke out on ESPN against St. Mary's -- pro. 

"Coach, remember when I showed you that video and within 30-45 seconds, you told me he was an NBA player? It's kind of crazy three years later and here he is," Smith remembered Peterson telling him. 

"And so now when I see him playing," Smith said. "When he signed with the Celtics last year, it was so awesome and then for them to win a ring in his fourth year as a pro and then he re-signed .. I went to the Big 12 Media Day and I checked into my hotel room and I turned on the TV, and this is zero exaggeration, within three minutes of me turning on that TV, they started announcing the Boston Celtics ... I knew the Celtics were playing, but I totally forgot about the ring ceremony and you turn it on and (hear) ... 'Neemias Queta' and he's walking up and getting his ring on and (has) that same old Neemy smile." 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (9-11, 3-1 Cup): Won Group C in the east by beating Boston and Cleveland, the conference's top two teams. The Hawks defeated the Cavs in back-to-back games this week, Trae Young combining for 41 points and 33 assists between the wins. He's now averaging 21.8 PPG and 12.5 APG despite only shooting 38.2% and dealing with an Achilles ailment earlier in the schedule. That pain caused him to miss the Cup win at Boston, but the NBA fined Atlanta $100,000 this week over his absence. The league's investigation, "including review by an independent physician ... determined that the Hawks held Young out of a game that he could have played in under the medical standard in the Policy." The Cup quarterfinals begin Dec. 10-11. 

Boston (16-3, 3-1 Cup): Lost a tiebreaker to the Hawks due to their loss to Atlanta in group play. The Celtics came back after trailing by nine points in the second half and four early in the fourth at Chicago on Friday, Payton Pritchard erupting for 29 points, including 19 in the fourth and 11 straight at one point to flip the game. It marked Boston's seventh straight win, and would've been enough to advance in Cup play if the Cavs beat the Hawks earlier in the day. Instead, the Celtics will need to win the east's wild card over the losers of Knicks-Magic and Bucks-Pistons on Tuesday. Boston (+23) needs a Magic win, due to Orlando's massive (+60) point differential and either a Bucks (+29) win by at least six points or Pistons (+28) win by at least seven. 

Kristaps Porzingis returned one month earlier than expected from his offseason ankle surgery, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting on Monday before 21 on 7-of-11 in Chicago. He said he expects a minimal minute restriction and load management upon return aside from the same back-to-backs he missed last year. Boston has two this week, in Cleveland on Sunday before hosting the Heat on Monday, then back-to-back home games against Milwaukee and Memphis on Friday and Saturday. Derrick White (foot) exited Friday's win over the Bulls and did not return after being listed doubtful. 

Brooklyn (9-11, 1-3 Cup): Cam Thomas (hamstring) will miss 3-4 weeks after suffering a strain between back-to-back upset road wins at Sacramento and Golden State. Thomas averaged 24.7 PPG (14th) on 46.1% FG and 38.9% 3PT to lead a surprising Nets start under Jordi Fernandez. Brooklyn kept winning without him, topping Phoenix behind Dennis Schröder's 29 points on Wednesday before Orlando ended their three-game win streak on Friday. The Nets rank fifth in shooting (56.3 eFG%) and eighth in offense. 

Charlotte (6-13, 0-3 Cup): Grant Williams tore his ACL, meniscus and other ligaments in his right knee on Saturday in a Hornets loss at Milwaukee. He'll miss the rest of the 2024-25 season. The crushing loss came as Mark Williams and Nick Richards prepared to begin rehab stints with the team's G-League affiliate in Greensboro, indicating an approach toward full health in the front court. Williams hasn't played yet and Richards last played on Nov. 1. Only Moussa Diabaté and 39-year-old Taj Gibson remain as center options for now. 

Chicago (8-13, 2-2 Cup): Caught off guard by the Bulls' competitiveness on Friday? Billy Donovan and Chicago have ramped up the team's three-point volume to third in the NBA (42.9) behind Boston and Charlotte, and at a 38.3% efficiency, only the Celtics have hit more threes per game than the Bulls. Boston had limited opposing threes as effectively as any team in the league prior to Friday, when Chicago got up 51 to nearly match Boston's 54, making 20 while the Celtics netted 23 in a 138-129 win. Lonzo Ball scored two points in 21 minutes in his second game back from wrist injury, his first game against Boston since 2021. 

Cleveland (17-3, 1-2 Cup): Return to TD Garden on Sunday at 6 p.m. after losing their 15-0 record at Boston earlier this month. That night, a mostly wall-to-wall Celtics win, featured the Cavs missing four important wings and starting a less-than-100% Sam Merrill. Since, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert returned while the team's offense faltered against the Hawks. LeVert, Okoro and Merrill combined for only 17 points in Friday's loss. Max Strus and Dean Wade remain out with ankle injuries. The team upgraded Wade to questionable on Friday while Strus will miss multiple more weeks. 

Dallas (11-8, 2-1 Cup): Luka Dončić will join the Mavs for their road trip beginning on Saturday at Utah after missing the last five games with a wrist injury. He practiced on Friday and looked good, according to Jason Kidd, before the team listed him as doubtful for today's game. The Mavs play again in Portland on Sunday. They host the Grizzlies on Tuesday after building a +41 scoring differential in the Cup, setting them up to likely make the knockout stage with a win. They've won 4-of-5 without Dončić after losing 8-of-12 when he sat last year. 

Denver (10-7, 1-2 Cup): Another mixed-bag week saw them win against the Lakers and Jazz around a blowout loss to the Knicks where they allowed 145 points. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic received criticism from Michael Malone after while Murray questioned the team's focus after staying in LA. Denver ranks seventh in offense and 18th in defense so far this season. Russell Westbrook received a fine for flashing a middle finger in the loss. 

“We’re not flushing. You don’t flush when you get embarrassed, you don’t flush when you gave up 145 points, you don’t flush when you didn’t play hard, when you didn’t play with effort when you didn’t play with physicality. I’m not flushing anything," Malone said. 

Detroit (9-12, 3-0 Cup): Set themselves up to reach the NBA Cup knockout stage with a win over the Bucks, and can still reach the tournament with a close loss given their +28 point differential following wins over the Pacers, Raptors and Heat. Whether they make it out of group play or not, the Pistons have racked up nine wins by the end of November, a feat that took until Feb. 27 last season. Malik Beasley is tied with Payton Pritchard for the fifth-most threes made in the NBA (70). Cade Cunningham returned from a three-game absence to score 24 points with 11 assists in Friday's win. Their group finale is on Tuesday in Detroit before they travel to Boston for their second matchup of the year against the Celtics on Wednesday. They lost, 124-118, in October. 

Golden State (12-6, 3-0 Cup): Have lost three straight to the Spurs, Nets and Thunder after their hot start, something to watch as Steph Curry (knee) and Andrew Wiggins (ankle) joined the injury report with ailments. Curry sat out Wednesday's loss to the Thunder, while lineup questions lingered. 

Houston (14-6, 3-0 Cup): Look up at the top of the west and you'll see the Thunder, Warriors and Ime Udoka's Houston Rockets ahead of West darlings Memphis, Denver and the reigning conference champion Mavs. Houston ranks No. 2 in defense behind only Oklahoma City, leading No. 3 Orlando by more than one point per 100 possessions. The Ringer profiled how Udoka carried over the defensive dominance he formed in Boston to the young Rockets, who know sound more interested in seeing this group's development through than swinging a big trade for a star this season. 

Clippers (12-9, 1-2 Cup): Blown away by Boston's threes in a blowout loss at TD Garden this week without Norman Powell, who remained out for a sixth straight game with his hamstring injury against Minnesota on Friday, which LA lost, 93-92. Ty Lue said before the game that Kawhi Leonard, who hasn't played this year due to lingering knee swelling from late last season, has been able to do some on-court work as the team focuses on getting him to 100%. Law Murray, who covers the team for the NY Times/Athletic, said the Clippers expect that Leonard will play at some point this season. 

Lakers (11-8, 2-2 Cup): Eliminated from NBA Cup contention after their scoring differential fell to -16 in a loss to the Thunder. The Lakers won the inaugural In-Season Tournament one year ago. Dalton Knecht replaced Cam Reddish in the team's starting lineup after their blowout loss to the Suns in the Cup on Tuesday. They've now lost 4-of-5 and rank 25th in defense, weighing down their seventh-ranked offense. 

Memphis (13-7, 1-2 Cup): Ja Morant returned from an eight-game absence on Monday to score 22 points in Memphis' blowout win over Portland before dropping 27 on New Orleans on Friday for the Grizzlies' fifth straight win. Marcus Smart poured 25 points on the Pistons in 20 minutes on Wednesday, shooting 7-of-11 from three in one of his better games with his new team so far. Zach Edey (ankle) will continue working his way back into next week. 

Miami (9-8, 2-2 Cup): Jimmy Butler played a rare pair of back-to-back games, the second on Wednesday a win over the Hornets where he strangely sat in the corner for his entire opening nine-minute stint, recording no statistical point and not attempting a shot until late in the second quarter. He finished with six points on two attempts, sitting late with what Erik Spoelstra called a tight back before returning to form with 26 points in Friday's win over Toronto. The Heat moved Terry Rozier to the bench in the previous night's as he begins this season shooting just 40% from the field. Miami visits Boston on Monday for their first meeting this season. They started Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Haywood Highsmith, Butler and Bam Adebayo on Friday. 

Minnesota (9-10, 2-2 Cup): Anthony Edwards sounded off on his team's slow start to the season after they lost a fourth straight game to the Kings on Wednesday, capping a nine-game stretch where they played like the 25th-best offense in the league. Edwards called the Wolves frontrunners in their loss to Sacramento, noticing that the team doesn't talk to each other when things go wrong in the game and that they don't look happy on the floor. They're soft, he added, pointing out that the Wolves' fans have started booing them. They responded with a 93-92 win over LA where Edwards scored 21, hitting the go-ahead three with 2:24 remaining, his league-leading 89th triple this year. 

"We can’t talk to each other. Just a bunch of little kids," Edwards said earlier this week. "Just like we playing with a bunch of little kids. Everybody, the whole team. We just can’t talk to each other. And we’ve got to figure it out because we can’t go down this road." 

New York (11-8, 3-0 Cup): Briefly passed the Celtics in offense this week before Boston jumped in front of them and Cleveland after Friday's win to regain the top spot in the league. The Knicks inched closer to an NBA Cup knockout spot, setting up a group-determining matchup on Tuesday against Orlando with a comeback win over the Hornets on Friday. They need to win to move on after the Celtics passed them in scoring differential on Tuesday. Mikal Bridges sat in the fourth quarter for most of the team's turnaround on Friday, shooting only 30.6% 3PT in his first Knicks season. 

Oklahoma City (15-4, 2-1 Cup): Isaiah Hartenstein looks awesome, grabbing 18 rebounds in the Thunder's Cup win over the Lakers after posting double-doubles in each of his first three games for Oklahoma City back from a hand injury. The Thunder are 4-0 with Hartenstein playing while he averages 14.3 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 3.8 APG and 1.8 BPG on 57.1% shooting. The signing looks like a slam dunk, sealing the team's one glaring weakness while allowing them to sustain through what'll most likely be a long-term Chet Holmgren absence. They need a win over Utah on Tuesday and a Suns win over the Spurs to advance from Group B in the west to the Cup's knockout round. If the Spurs win, the Thunder (+18) will need to build up their point differential with the Mavs (+41) and Blazers (-5) still alive as wild-card competitors. 

Orlando (14-7, 3-0 Cup): Quietly dominating on defense atop the east standings while beating their Cup competitors by a combined +60, all but guaranteeing their appearance in the knockout round after a blowout win over the Nets on Friday. A win over the Knicks on Sunday would cement them as a home court team in the first round and a potential first-round opponent if the Celtics sneak in as a wild card, which Orlando's win would help immensely with. For now, Boston and the Magic only face three times beginning on Dec. 23 in Orlando. Franz Wagner has averaged 27.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 7.0 APG on 46.2% shooting over the team's last 10 games, emerging as their offensive star with Paolo Banchero (oblique) continuing his recovery. 

Philadelphia (3-14, 1-2 Cup): CBS documented how only eight teams in NBA history have turned their seasons around and reached the playoffs after starting 3-13 like the Sixers have, and all eight lost in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia's start worsened on Wednesday, losing in overtime with Joel Embiid and Paul George still out of the lineup despite Tyrese Maxey's 39 points. In an ESPN profile on the team's horrific start, Ben Simmons reportedly reached out to Embiid and other former teammates with the Sixers organization to mend fences, but a source called a reunion unlikely. George returned to practice and will likely return this upcoming week. Embiid has seen improvement in his knee swelling, Nick Nurse said. 

Sacramento (9-11, 0-3 Cup): Signed former Celtic Jae Crowder, who last played 10 minutes per game for the Bucks in April's playoffs before going unsigned through the summer. He started his first Kings game, scoring eight points on 3-of-5 shooting in 27 minutes before adding 10 more in Friday's loss to Portland. Kevin Huerter injured his ankle in the game, which DeMar DeRozan also missed with a back ailment, allowing for Crowder's starts. 

Washington (2-15, 0-3 Cup): Losers of 13 straight games, they last won on Oct. 30, scoring both their wins in a home-and-home to end that month against Atlanta, and they could now go 0-14 in November with a loss at Milwaukee on Saturday. They're last in offense and 29th in defense, posting the worst net rating (-14.3) by more than two points per possession underneath No. 29 New Orleans. They're the worst team in the league by far. 

“All it takes is one thing to bring everything together,” Jordan Poole said. “But moments like this really show who loves the game, who wants to continue to work, who wants to continue to find ways to get better, who wants to get in the lab, who wants to watch film. So, it definitely tests your character, but we’ve got really good guys in that locker room.”