NBA interim head coach Joseph Mazzulla was born on June 30, 1988, and is an American basketball coach now working with the Boston Celtics (NBA). He was a star basketball player for West Virginia University.
In high school, Mazzulla was a first-team all-state selection while playing for Bishop Hendricken in Rhode Island. He led Bishop Hendricken to three consecutive state championships, the final one coming on a buzzer-beater as a senior.
Controversy
In 2022–23, the Boston Celtics should be at the top of their game. After coming up short by two games in last year’s championship, they have been the preseason favourite for the 2023 season. Now, as training camp approaches, the team is in turmoil.
Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck characterised Ime Udoka’s yearlong ban for having what was reported to be an improper intimate, consensual relationship with a female Celtics staff member as “a volume of violations” on Friday, and the news rocked the whole organisation.
Over the course of the past three weeks, the Celtics have received a steady stream of devastating news. The recently acquired Danilo Gallinari suffered an ACL tear. Robert Williams III will be sidelined for an additional eight to twelve weeks after the team announced on Friday that he underwent a second procedure on his left knee. This could keep him out until after the holidays.
Williams missed seven playoff games after tearing the meniscus in this same knee at the close of last season. Is it feasible that his injury worsened because he continued to play on a knee that hadn’t fully healed? Williams has had a long history of injuries in his brief career; we don’t know if this newest “clean up” treatment will be the last or if these will keep resurfacing.
That’s the hope in Boston, at least. Williams is a tremendous rim-rolling weapon and a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He smashes the smug glass. Remember how great DeAndre Jordan was for the Clippers, and he has DeAndre Jordan-like skills.
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Does Jaylen Brown Harbour have Any Resentment Toward the Celtics?
Since they floated his name as a potential trade piece this summer? Brad Stevens has praised Brown’s candid communication with the team on a possible trade. There’s no doubt, though, that Brown thinks he’s at a point in his career where he can rest easy about his place at the company.
Just ignore it; it won’t affect you too much. Udoka’s suspension is a huge wound, but this is just one of many paper cuts that may have built up to it. On Friday, Stevens announced that Celtics assistant coach Joe Mazzulla will replace Udoka in an interim capacity. He did so while sitting next to Grousbeck at a press conference neither man wanted to attend.
The hiring of Joe Mazzulla has generated some controversy in and of itself. During his time as a student and basketball player at West Virginia University in 2009, Mazzulla was arrested and charged with domestic assault for reportedly grabbing a woman by the neck and choking her in a pub.
On Friday, Stevens responded to these allegations by claiming that Mazzulla is “110 per cent accountable” for his past behaviour but that he “believe strongly that probably formed into who he is today in a really wonderful way.”
I’m not trying to enforce some sort of moral code. Legal disputes were resolved by Mazzulla. Humans have the ability to make mistakes and grow from them. Nonetheless, this will, quite plainly and appropriately, be a hot topic in the near future. Visual appearance is important. Another coach who has been accused of choking a woman has been hired to replace one who has been suspended for inappropriate behaviour with a female player.
There’s a common theme among teams and players to avoid distractions, but the Celtics have a PR nightmare on their hands immediately. Clearly, they think Mazzulla is well worth the trouble. Stevens gushed about how he can “galvanise a room,” which is a fairly impressive feat.
Professional Development
Mazzulla’s 2007 National Invitation Tournament winning team at West Virginia was led by head coach John Beilein and included Mazzulla. The 2008 NCAA Tournament second-round upset of Duke was led by Mazzulla’s 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists. As his growth plate never fused with his shoulder, he had to redshirt the 2008–2009 season after suffering a shoulder injury versus Ole Miss.
Despite doubting his ability to return to the field, he trained for two hours every day and had potentially life-threatening surgery. Following his arrest for domestic assault in a pub in Morgantown, West Virginia in April 2009, coach Bob Huggins immediately put him on indefinite suspension.
Redshirt junior Mazzulla was a team leader for the Mountaineers that year, and he led them to the Final Four. In the Sweet 16 upset win over Kentucky, he scored 17 points. For the season, he posted averages of 7.7 points and 3.8 boards per game as a senior. His career stats include 700 points scored and 340 assists given.
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Personal Life
In April 2020, he passed away due to complications from cancer. Joe’s little brother Justin was a basketball player at George Washington University until he transferred to Vermont. Joe is a married man with two children: a stepson named Michael and a son named Emmanuel.