Former WVU Guard Joe Mazzulla ‘Serious Candidate’ as Boston Celtics Interim Head Coach

Former WVU G Joe Mazzulla has climbed up the coaching ladder, all the way to a top assistant position with the Boston Celtics. Mazzulla may get his biggest opportunity yet. As reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Mazzulla would likely be in serious consideration for the interim head coaching job for the Celtics.

Current Celtics HC Ime Udoka is facing a potential long suspension due to violating team guidelines. Udoka’s job doesn’t seem to be on the line but he may be off the sidelines for a while. As of Thursday morning, Udoka is still in charge.

Mazzulla has served as a coaching assistant for the Celtics since 2019, coaching under Brad Stevens and Udoka. Mazzulla was recently interviewed for the opened Utah Jazz job, making it all the way to interviews with the organization.

During his WVU days, Mazzulla was most known for his 17-point performance in the 2010 Elite Eight against Kentucky. Mazzulla stepped in for an injured Truck Bryant, helping the Mountaineers reach their first Final Four since 1959. Mazzulla played 145 career games at West Virginia.

Mazzulla began pursing a coaching career following his graduation from West Virginia. Following coaching stints at Glenville State and Fairmont State, the former Mountaineer was hired as an assistant of the Maine Red Claws, Boston’s G-League team. Mazzulla went back to Fairmont State in 2017 to serve as the head coach of the Fighting Falcons.