Togo Palazzi
Togo Anthony Palazzi is a retired American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals.
A 6'4" forward/guard born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, Palazzi played at Union Hill High School, where he was recognized as one of the top prep basketball players nationwide. He played at the College of the Holy Cross in the 1950s and was captain of the Crusaders team that won the 1954 NIT Championship and was named MVP of the tournament.
Palazzi was selected by the Boston Celtics with the fifth pick of the 1954 NBA Draft. He played six seasons in the NBA as a member of the Celtics and Syracuse Nationals and averaged 7.4 points per game in his career. He was a part of the first Celtics championship squad of 1956-57.
He coached the Holy Cross women's team from 1980 to 1985, going 103-28 as coach; he coached them to a NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament appearance in his final year, the first ever appearance by the women's team.
He now gives speeches at basketball camps for young adults interested in basketball. Along with conducting area speeches he is the camp director of the Togo Palazzi/Sterling Recreation Basketball Camp in Sterling, Massachusetts.
