PROVIDENCE — Joe Mazzulla grew up about a 15-minute drive from the place where he was honored on Tuesday morning.
He walked the Larry O’Brien Trophy down the gleaming white marble steps of the State House, the Boston Celtics head coach showing off the prize his team earned in 2023-24. Gov. Dan McKee and other dignitaries offered a warm welcome as the Johnston native made a triumphant return to his home state.
Mazzulla led a collection of stars to Banner 18 in June, as the Celtics brushed aside the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis − they all took direction from a 36-year-old who was a basketball and soccer standout at Bishop Hendricken in the 2000s. Mazzulla went on to a decorated playing career on the hardwood at West Virginia and made four different coaching stops before landing the top job at TD Garden.
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“When you leave that early, you don’t realize the impact you may have on the people you have met,” Mazzulla said. “I left that young and I didn’t quite understand the identity that I had within the state.”
The Mountaineers, Glenville State, two stints at Fairmont State, the Maine Red Claws — Mazzulla didn’t spend more than a year in New England after high school until he was hired as a Boston assistant coach in June 2019. The Celtics promoted him to interim head coach in 2022-23 after Ime Udoka was suspended due to violation of team policy. The interim tag was removed after Mazzulla's team started 42-17, and he’s now the owner of a long-term contract with one of the most storied franchises in professional basketball.
“One of the greatest gifts is being able to come back to where I’m from and redeveloping those relationships,” Mazzulla said. “I have an understanding since I’ve been back the last four years.
“I’ve been reconnecting with so many people, and those memories come up. Those thoughts come up.”
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The majority of those figure to be in Johnston. Mazzulla is part of a legacy in town that includes his late father, Dan, a longtime coach of multiple sports at the high school who was later named Parks and Recreation Director. His passing due to cancer in April 2020 came less than a year after his son joined the Boston staff under current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
“Constantly running into people who gave me rides, who bought me lunch, who babysat me, who came to my games, who supported me when I was in CYO or high school, who knew my father, who knew my family,” Mazzulla said. "Just reconnecting and rekindling those relationships. Getting back to the foundation of who I am and where I’m from.”
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Mazzulla wasn’t exactly invisible during his time away. His five years at West Virginia included an NIT championship in 2007, a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008 and a Final Four in 2010. Those two deep runs in the NCAA Tournament saw Mazzulla just miss a triple-double while upsetting Duke and collect 17 points in a victory over Kentucky.
Mazzulla’s coaching career prior to the Celtics was a bit more outside the spotlight. Division II college basketball and the G League aren’t on the March Madness stage. He spent multiple seasons with Boston in the second row behind the bench. He interviewed for a head coaching job with the Utah Jazz in 2022 before Udoka’s personal missteps created an opportunity.
Mazzulla offered a pair of observations to the crowd gathered under the sunshine. Their familiar faces provided two reminders — “what a pain in the [butt] I was,” jokingly, and “how many people went into making sure I got to where I am today.” It was both just a few miles and light years away from where he started all at once.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island honors native son, Celtics championship coach Joe Mazzulla
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