Photo by: AP
WVU’s Mazzulla Wins First NBA Game With Celtics
October 19, 2022 09:40 AM | Men's Basketball, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Those who remember Joe Mazzulla playing an entire season right-handed because of an injured left shoulder, or scoring all of those points against Kentucky's five NBA first-rounders in the NCAA East Regional finals, were not surprised by what they saw last night in Boston.
Mazzulla, coaching the Boston Celtics on an interim basis in place Ime Udoka, who is serving a team-imposed, year-long suspension, helped his team defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-117, in last night's season opener.
It was Mazzulla's NBA coaching debut.
Just three years ago, Mazzulla was coaching Division II Fairmont State in the Mountain East Conference Tournament. Obviously, it's been a whirlwind three years for Mazzulla, who began his college career at WVU playing for John Beilein before ending it with Bob Huggins – two Hall of Fame coaches.
After Tuesday night's game, Mazzulla endured a water-bottle shower from the players before owner Wyc Grousbeck presented him with the game ball. Afterward, he spoke about his gratitude for the strong relationships that he's already developed in Boston.
"These guys have been through a lot together, and they're great players, so it's just a matter of working together," he said. "I appreciate their trust and buy-in, but they come up with a lot of good stuff as well, and we kind of just figure it out."
Joe has great basketball bloodlines. His father, Dan, who died of cancer in 2020, was a well-known Division II player at Bryant who later became a well-known high school basketball coach in Rhode Island.
That was certainly alluring to Beilein when he recruited Joe to play at West Virginia.
Then, when Huggins inherited Beilein's players prior to the 2008 season, he would sometimes let them tweak the 1-3-1 zone they were playing because they were familiar with it and he wasn't. And, some adjustments that Mazzulla suggested during a Big East Tournament game against Notre Dame in 2009 played a big role in the Mountaineers slowing down the Irish's Luke Harangody.
It was obvious to everybody then that Mazzulla was going to become a coach one day.
But coaching the Celtics? Nobody could have predicted that.
Joe becomes the first Mountaineer alum to win an NBA game as a coach since former All-American Rod Thorn, who concluded the 1981-82 season with the Chicago Bulls as its interim coach. Thorn, also the general manager who was forced to fire Jerry Sloan, ended up leading the Bulls to a 15-15 record over the remaining 30 games of that season, including a campaign-ending 112-104 triumph over the Indiana Pacers on April 18, 1982.
Before that, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 145-101 record over three seasons from 1976 to 1979 before stepping aside to become the team's general manager. Fred Schaus did likewise, the former Mountaineer player and coach helping the Lakers to a 315-245 mark over seven seasons from 1960-67 before moving into upper management.
Charleston season ticket holder and WVU supporter Andy Richardson says Hot Rod Hundley once won an NBA game as a player, too, but considering Hot Rod's propensity for spinning yarns and telling tall tales, I'd double and triple check that one.
Nevertheless, Joe Mazzulla has joined some pretty elite company in West, Thorn, Schaus and, possibly, Hot Rod.
Congratulations, Joe. Here's to many more!
Mazzulla, coaching the Boston Celtics on an interim basis in place Ime Udoka, who is serving a team-imposed, year-long suspension, helped his team defeat the Philadelphia 76ers, 126-117, in last night's season opener.
It was Mazzulla's NBA coaching debut.
Just three years ago, Mazzulla was coaching Division II Fairmont State in the Mountain East Conference Tournament. Obviously, it's been a whirlwind three years for Mazzulla, who began his college career at WVU playing for John Beilein before ending it with Bob Huggins – two Hall of Fame coaches.
After Tuesday night's game, Mazzulla endured a water-bottle shower from the players before owner Wyc Grousbeck presented him with the game ball. Afterward, he spoke about his gratitude for the strong relationships that he's already developed in Boston.
"These guys have been through a lot together, and they're great players, so it's just a matter of working together," he said. "I appreciate their trust and buy-in, but they come up with a lot of good stuff as well, and we kind of just figure it out."
Joe has great basketball bloodlines. His father, Dan, who died of cancer in 2020, was a well-known Division II player at Bryant who later became a well-known high school basketball coach in Rhode Island.
That was certainly alluring to Beilein when he recruited Joe to play at West Virginia.
Then, when Huggins inherited Beilein's players prior to the 2008 season, he would sometimes let them tweak the 1-3-1 zone they were playing because they were familiar with it and he wasn't. And, some adjustments that Mazzulla suggested during a Big East Tournament game against Notre Dame in 2009 played a big role in the Mountaineers slowing down the Irish's Luke Harangody.
It was obvious to everybody then that Mazzulla was going to become a coach one day.
But coaching the Celtics? Nobody could have predicted that.
Joe becomes the first Mountaineer alum to win an NBA game as a coach since former All-American Rod Thorn, who concluded the 1981-82 season with the Chicago Bulls as its interim coach. Thorn, also the general manager who was forced to fire Jerry Sloan, ended up leading the Bulls to a 15-15 record over the remaining 30 games of that season, including a campaign-ending 112-104 triumph over the Indiana Pacers on April 18, 1982.
Before that, NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 145-101 record over three seasons from 1976 to 1979 before stepping aside to become the team's general manager. Fred Schaus did likewise, the former Mountaineer player and coach helping the Lakers to a 315-245 mark over seven seasons from 1960-67 before moving into upper management.
Charleston season ticket holder and WVU supporter Andy Richardson says Hot Rod Hundley once won an NBA game as a player, too, but considering Hot Rod's propensity for spinning yarns and telling tall tales, I'd double and triple check that one.
Nevertheless, Joe Mazzulla has joined some pretty elite company in West, Thorn, Schaus and, possibly, Hot Rod.
Congratulations, Joe. Here's to many more!
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