MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sometimes the best messages in life come from those who know you best.
 
Nobody knows and understands West Virginia University and the people in this state better than Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
 
Of course, Joe was a member of West Virginia's Final Four team in 2010 and played another season with a separated shoulder because the team was out of point guards. Who could ever forget Mazzulla stepping up to the free throw line to shoot foul shots righthanded because he couldn't lift his left arm above his shoulder?
 
So, when Neal Brown found out through mutual friend John (JT) Todd that Mazzulla was planning to be in town for part of this week, he jumped at the opportunity to get him in front of his football team after practice this morning.
 
"JT called on Sunday and he was like, 'Hey, Joe is in town, and he wants to come to practice.' I'm like, 'That's awesome. No problem, he's welcome any time,'" Brown said.
 

"I had no idea that he was coming. I've met him before, but this was the first time I've spent any time with him. I really have a great amount of respect for how he handled himself in a really difficult situation in Boston, and to come back from the deficit they were in during the Eastern Conference finals, and being a first-year head coach, you could tell the guys believed in him," he added.
 
Joe watched the entire practice with his son, and then spent about 10 minutes talking to the Mountaineer players afterward. He spent an additional 15 minutes talking to Brown as the players left the field.
 
"I just love the accountability and the ownership he had, and you could tell there is a realness about him as a man and a coach that I really appreciate," Brown noted. "How often do you get a chance to have the head coach of one of the most storied franchises in professional sports to talk to your team?"
 
Mazzulla's message about sticking together and taking on the personality of the people of West Virginia really resonated with the coaches and staff. Even the officials hired to work today's practice stuck around to listen to Mazzulla's heartfelt message.
 
"Our guys were juiced about it, too," Brown said, pointing out to them beforehand that Mazzulla is "one of us" who went from being a Division II basketball coach at Fairmont State in 2019 to the head coach of one of the most well-known organizations in professional sports just four years later.
 
"I told our guys, 'Hey, when the Celtics needed a head coach where did they go? They went and got a West Virginia guy,'" he said.
 
Indeed, they did. They got one of us.
 
Tuesday Practice Tidbits …
 
* Joe Mazzulla said he will be in town until Thursday and plans on spending some time over at the basketball practice facility with coach Josh Eilert and his staff. Mazzulla was Mountaineer teammates with WVU assistant coaches Alex Ruoff and Da'Sean Butler.
 
* To change things up, Brown moved this morning's practice inside the stadium and was pleased with what his team was able to accomplish. One of the things he has introduced is a game simulation period when they play out the results of a drive during team periods.
 
For instance, if a drive stalls on the offensive side of the 50, then the punt team is required to take the field and get lined up. If a drive stalls in field goal range, then the field goal personnel take the field.
 
Kickoffs and kickoff return units were also involved.
 
"Our players have to get used to competing in this facility, and this is where their most important evaluations are going to come during those home games, so we're just getting a feel for operating in here," Brown explained.
 
* As for the scrimmage portion of today's practice, Brown said there was a great deal of ebb and flow this morning, noting the positives were several explosive plays on offense and several turnovers created once again by the defense.
 
Last year's defense ranked among the worst in college football in takeaways, and it's been clear during preseason camp so far that the defensive players have gotten the message.
 
"It was good that we saw takeaways on defense and explosive plays on offense," Brown said. "We did that, and as a head coach you're like, 'Aww, we were really explosive on offense, but we also gave up (some turnovers).' On defense, we got turnovers, which is what we've been working on, but that's also our quarterback who threw it."
 
Brown said during individual work he wants his players to improve as far as details.
 
* Overall, the coach said he was pleased with the effort his team gave this morning in full gear ahead of the first day of classes beginning tomorrow.
 
No on-field activities are scheduled for Wednesday, and the team will resume practice work on Thursday leading into the second full-scale scrimmage this Saturday. After that, Brown indicated personnel decisions will be made in preparation for the season opener at seventh-ranked Penn State on Saturday, Sept. 2.
 
"This was the last day before the start school tomorrow, and we were physical, and I thought the guys responded to it. That's really what we want," he explained. (Joe Mazzulla) just talked about how important it is for a team to take on the personality of the school or organization they are representing, and that's really what we're trying to do.
 
"We want our team to really mirror who we are as a state, who we are as a school and that's being tough, physical and kind of a blue-collar outfit," Brown concluded.
 
* Quarterbacks coach Sean Reagan, who met with media last Friday, said he expects 90% proficiency in decision making from his quarterbacks and prior to last Saturday's scrimmage, he said his five quarterbacks were operating at about a combined 86% rate. 
 
* Linebackers coach Jeff Koonz, who also visited with media last Friday, said the team will travel to Penn State with six Mike linebackers, easily the most he's had available since he's been at West Virginia.
 
Koonz, who also oversees special teams, said he wants to build on last year's 60% fair-catch rate on punts. Only seven of Oliver Straw's 48 punts were returned for 19 yards last season.
 
* Don't discount the value new general manager Drew Fabianich can bring to the Mountaineer program. There are not that many general managers in college football with the extensive coaching and NFL experience that Fabianich possesses.
 
Not only can he give Neal Brown an unbiased and accurate assessment of the current roster, but his professional football background will prove appealing to potential prospects entering the transfer portal.
 
Fabianich can tell them he's got 18-plus years of NFL experience working for the Dallas Cowboys, one of the storied franchises in professional football.
 
Hiring Fabianich and naming him general manager was a shrewd move by Brown.
 
* Wide receiver Cortez Braham, defensive tackle Edward Vesterinen and cornerback Beanie Bishop met with media following today's practice and videos from each session are available on our official YouTube channel WVUsports.
 
* Today was practice No. 11 and preseason camp will technically conclude following this Saturday's scrimmage. Neal Brown is scheduled to meet with media members afterward to provide another update on his team.