:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64079947/80411900.jpg.0.jpg)
Joe Mazzulla, who played for the West Virginia Mountaineers from 2007 - 2011 and was part of the magical Final Four run in 2009-2010 season when the Mountaineers unleashed a 1-3-1 defense against Kentucky in the Elite 8, will coach with the Boston Celtics next season according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Celtics are hiring Fairmont (WV) State coach Joe Mazzulla as an assistant coach, league sources tell ESPN. Mazzulla made a strong impression with Celtics G League staff before returning to college two years ago. He played for John Beilein at WVU.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2019
Mazzulla had currently been coaching Fairmont State, where he took over in 2017. During his first year as a head coach, Mazzulla led the Falcons to a 21-8 record. His team went 17-5 in conference, good for a third-place finish in the MEC. The following season, Mazzulla coached his team to 98-97 upset of then ranked #1 Liberty and 78-74 upset over #9 Wheeling Jesuit.
Mazzulla was previously an assistant at Fairmont State, where he helped develop Shammgod Wells, who eventually became the program’s all-time leader in both assists and steals. The assists part is nothing new for Joe, who as a senior had 139 assists for the Mountaineers.
Keep an eye on the rising career of Joe, who just could come back and be the Bob Huggins replacement Shane Lyons needs in a few years. Until then, good luck in the NBA Joe!