Big East Official Hired as Celtics Executive : Basketball: Dave Gavitt’s first task as head of operations will be to find a new coach.

Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt today was named head of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics.

One of his first tasks will be to find a successor to fired head Coach Jimmy Rodgers.

“I believe we have landed one of the best basketball minds in the business,” said Red Auerbach, the Celtics’ president. “He will be senior executive president and chief operating officer. He’s the basketball guy that we feel can do an awful lot.”

“I’ve got complete authority to do what I have to do,” said Gavitt, who gave up his job as commissioner of the Big East, one of the most powerful and successful college basketball conferences in the country, to take full control of basketball matters with the Celtics, who were ousted from the first round of the NBA playoffs the past two seasons.

“I’ve got tremendous resources to do that job. And one of the reasons I took this job is what it is, who it is and where it is,” Gavitt said.

Gavitt is best known for his work in creating and building the Big East. He has been its commissioner since its inception 11 years ago. He was head coach at Providence for 10 years, and was coach of the U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1980, the year of the boycott.

Assistant Celtics Coach Chris Ford has been considered a leading candidate to replace Rodgers, but the choice of who will lead the aging Celtics into the 1990-91 NBA season apparently rests with Gavitt alone.

The choice of Gavitt was greeted with praise around the league.

“A good move, a very good move. Dave is a fine basketball man,” Phoenix Suns Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons told The Boston Globe.

“But I’ll tell you this,” Fitzsimmons said. “He’ll have to rely on some professional people in making some decisions because, coming in from the college ranks, he won’t know all the NBA. Just because a guy is a good player at Providence doesn’t mean he’ll be a good NBA player.”

Forward Kevin McHale, around whom trade rumors swirled last season, said he didn’t feel threatened by Gavitt’s hiring. “Maybe less secure, but definitely not threatened,” he said. “I think Dave will do what’s necessary, and some moves definitely have to be made. If it happens to you, it happens to you.”