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Morning Sports Update
“This is just surreal that they did that,” Bolma said of the Revolution’s trade.
The Celtics lost to the Pacers 117-112 on Wednesday. Boston fell behind by 30 points, but almost rallied all the way back thanks partly to Jayson Tatum’s 41 points.
Tonight, the Bruins host the Jets at 7 p.m.
And on Saturday, the Patriots face the Bengals at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Also, the NFL revealed the rosters for the 2023 Pro Bowl Games. Linebacker Matthew Judon was selected as the Patriots’ representative.
The Revolution’s draft-day trade: Heading into Wednesday’s MLS SuperDraft, the Revolution initially held the 10th overall pick in the first round.
But after the draft got underway, New England unveiled a surprise: Trading up to the acquire the fourth pick from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a combined $250,000 in General Allocation Money.
With the pick, the Revolution selected 20-year-old midfielder Joshua Bolma from the University of Maryland.
Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena said the trade was something New England had eyed beforehand, but was ultimately agreed to moments before the pick was made.
“The deals come together when you offer them some money and they make a decision, so that was pretty quick,” Arena explained afterward. “There were two players we were interested in in the first 10 picks. We had the opportunity to move up and that assured us we were going to get one of those players, and that was the case.
“Joshua Bolma is a really good, quick attacking player,” Arena continued. “He can play in a number of positions. We’re going to try him as a No. 8 in the central midfield. It’s one area where we lack speed, is in the central part of midfield, and we wanted to get a player there that could offer us a little more quickness, and Joshua certainly does that.”
Bolma, who was a First Team All-Big Ten player as both a freshman and sophomore prior to declaring for the draft, grew up in Accra, Ghana. He attended the South Kent School prior to his collegiate career, helping the team win a High School National Championship.
This past season, Bolma notched two goals and eight assists in 20 appearances for Maryland.
“This is just surreal that they did that,” Bolma said of the Revolution’s trade. “I can’t wait to get together with the team, looking forward to it. I’m just ready to be able to do whatever is required to help the club in whichever way possible. I’m super pumped and excited. At the same time, I know it’s going to be a lot of work and a lot of expectations. I’m going to come in and try to do the best I can to be able to live up to those expectations and be able to help the team to get wherever they belong.”
On top of selecting Bolma, the Revolution also picked Boston College defender Victor Souza 39th overall in the second round and University of Virginia defender Andreas Ueland 68th overall in the third round.
New England opens its 2023 MLS regular season on Feb. 25 away at Charlotte FC.
Trivia: What other former Maryland Terrapin was selected second overall by the Revolution in the 2002 SuperDraft?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He won MLS MVP in 2005.
More from Boston.com:
Boston College stunned No. 21 ranked Virginia Tech: The Eagles pulled off the 70-65 upset on Wednesday to improve to 7-6 on the season. Senior guard Makai Ashton-Langford led with 21 points, including a deep three-pointer in overtime to help seal the win.
The Steelers’ tribute to Franco Harris:
On this day: In 1956, Bill Russell made his Celtics debut. Having played in the Melbourne Summer Olympics (which was played from November through December in the Southern Hemisphere), Russell had to wait until the Celtics’ 25th game of the season to begin his NBA career.
It ended up being a thriller, culminating with Bill Sharman hitting a buzzer-beater for the 95-93 win. Russell, Boston Globe Celtics reporter Jack Barry noted, “gave a good account of himself defensively, and indicated that with experience he will pick up on offense.”
It was the beginning of a legendary Hall of Fame run for Russell. The Celtics would go on to win the first NBA championship in team history that season, and would add 10 more before Russell’s career was over.
Daily highlight: Jayson Tatum dunked on former teammate Aaron Nesmith during Wednesday’s matchup.
Trivia answer: Taylor Twellman
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