Bob Huggins was around Joe Mazzulla a lot during their tenure together, as coach and player, at the University of West Virginia over a decade ago.
There are a few things he knows about his former point guard.
“He couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean,” said Coach Huggins, now retired in Morgantown, W.V., only semi-joking.
“He came over to me once during a game and said, ‘Huggs, take me out of the game. I suck,’” recalled Huggins. “And I said, ‘Joe, I’ve known that for a long time.’”
Joking aside, Huggins and Mazzulla were connected at the hip for some time when the latter took over as starting point guard.
Huggins appreciated what Mazzulla brought to the table, which was manners and grit.
“Joe has always had a way of communicating with people,” said Huggins. “He’s kind of fun to be around. It was like that from the start.”
In fact, Mazzulla was part of a memorable group of young guys that Huggins appreciates more and more as time moves on.
“It was really good for Joe to be with people he was with … heck of a group,” said Huggins. “They weren’t just competitive on floor and good players, but they were all good people. We just didn’t have any bad guys. They got along, helped each other.”
While Mazzulla was nothing close to being a scorer, he was a very good ball-handler, passer and, what Huggins loved most of all, a nasty defender.
In fact, West Virginia went into its Elite Eight matchup with Kentucky, 35-2 at the time, Huggins did something few people understood.
For a long portion of the game Huggins put 6-foot-2 Mazzulla on Kentucky’s 6-foot-11 star All-American center DeMarcus Cousins.
“We played a 1-3-1 defense and I had Joe back at the hoop, which was where Cousins was all game,” said Huggins. “We needed length at the perimeter.
“People thought I was crazy,” said Huggins. “But Joe was tough and smart. He got into Cousins’ legs. Pushed him around. Honestly, he drove [Cousins] crazy.”
West Virginia advanced to the Final Four, 73-67. In fact, Mazzulla, who averaged seven points per game, outscored Cousins 17 to 15.
While Huggins earned big kudos for getting the most out of Mazzulla, he believes that Mazzulla’s dad, Dan Mazzulla, a Bryant College Hall of Famer and former high school coach, deserves that credit.
“Joe was the son of a successful coach. He knew how to play the game. I know. I was the son of coach. When I was born my dad gave me a basketball. He was a legendary high school coach in Ohio,” said Huggins. “Joe’s dad was a big influence on him. He was around our games a lot … a great guy.”
Mazzulla’s dad passed away in 2020.
Fast forward to the now and the NBA Finals.
Many people are shocked that Mazzulla has been able to overcome his inexperience as a head coach in pro basketball, Huggins is adamant that what you’re seeing is not even close to shocking.
“A lot of guys like Joe, that want to get into the coaching business, they want to start at the top,” said Huggins. “He wasn’t like that. He went to Division Two Fairmont State and had two pretty successful seasons there. He learned a lot as a head coach there. Trust me, it’s a lot better making mistakes in front of 53 people instead of 53,000.”
Mazzulla made the jump joining the Celtics G-League team in Portland, Me., before joining the big squad in Boston for two years as a low-level assistant.
When Ime Udoka was suspended by the NBA and eventually fired for incidents off the court, Mazzulla was shockingly the choice by Team President Brad Stevens.
It seemed like a huge risk, handing a pro coaching neophyte the keys to team of great and immediate potential.
“That’s what you people [in the media] do, question everything,” said Huggins. “Brad is his own person, a heck of a basketball guy. I think he conferred with Danny [Ainge], who wasn’t afraid to do things others wouldn’t. They were both in Joe’s corner and that means a lot.”
There is room, apparently in Joe’s “corner” for Huggins, too.
While he hasn’t talked to Mazzulla during the season, he spent a few days last year during team practices in Brighton.
“I’m not going to bother Joe now. He knows what he’s doing and has enough people around him,” said Huggins.
He makes no bones about the NBA Finals and who he is rooting for.
“I’ve been following the Celtics closely here and I like the way they play,” said Huggins. “Joe has really done a great job, getting this group playing together. It really is a talent. He’s one hell of a coach.”
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.
