By Dave Goldstein
Enquirer contributor

An undersized power forward from a mid-major school drafted late in the second round would normally be called a project, but Brandon Hunter is now being called something else - a starter.

Boston Celtics' Brandon Hunter, center, takes control of the ball from Toronto Raptors' Milt Palacio. (AP photo)

The Ohio University and Withrow High grad was just the 56th pick of the NBA Draft, and there were questions as to whether the 6-foot-7 bruiser could compete against the league's taller post players. After spending most of the season on the bench, Hunter has come on to start the Boston Celtics last four games and erase those doubts. He has averaged 11.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in four starts, including a seven-point, 12-rebound game against Orlando Monday night. He shot 52 percent from the field over the four games. According to interim Celtics coach John Carroll, the move may be a permanent one.

"As long as he rebounds and plays at the level he is playing at now nothing's going to change," Carroll said. "He creates an incredible advantage for us with his rebounding. He gets us out on the fast break, gets us some easy baskets and also gets us some baskets down in the paint where we don't really have a low post presence."

Hunter's NBA prospects haven't always looked so good. He was the third-to-last pick of the draft, nearly slipping out entirely, and was hardly assured of a roster spot. But Hunter tore up the summer league, impressing Celtics brass enough to make a team loaded with frontcourt talent. Playing behind an established front line, Hunter was put on the team's injured list for the first 32 games of the season, and he didn't play double-figure minutes in a game until Jan. 25. In all he has appeared in 20 games and is averaging better than four points and three rebounds in only 10 minutes a game.

"Going from being a star to being the last person on the team, being put on injured reserve, that was hard," Hunter said. "But that's why you've got to work, really work. There's no use in crying over spilled milk - get a towel and wipe it up. Get in the gym. Do whatever you've got to do so you won't be sitting on the bench."

With Vin Baker no longer on the team and Tony Battie traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hunter now seems firmly entrenched in the starting five, but his work ethic hasn't slipped in the slightest. After scoring 17 points and grabbing 9 rebounds in his first start of the season Feb. 25, Hunter was back at the Celtics' practice facility at 11:30 p.m. to work on his free throws, which he had struggled with in a loss.

His strength has always been rebounding. Hunter, who led the nation as a senior at Ohio, has begun making a name for himself in that department in the NBA as well, and it has gotten him in the good graces of the Celtics' most prominent shooter.

"We've had a lot of guys who have been up and down, and Brandon's the type of player that's been really consistent," said swingman Paul Pierce. "He only knows one thing and that's to go hard and get the ball. He goes after every rebound and that's all we need him to do."

At a sculpted 260 pounds, Hunter makes the term undersized seem laughable, but it is yet another label to which his name has been attached. Questions about his height may have dropped Hunter to the bottom of the second round, but they may provide him with a career's worth of motivation.

He wears number 56 as a reminder of his surprisingly low draft position, and a chip on either of his massive shoulders may just spur him on to a great NBA career.

"You can't measure heart, you can't measure desire and you can't measure will, and those are some of my greatest attributes," Hunter said. "I have the will to prove people wrong and kick people's butt - people that are bigger than me, taller than me, people that are the 'prototype' pro player. I just don't think a couple of inches are that major in this league when you have that will and you're aggressive."