New Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Jerrod Calhoun recently talked about his close relationship with Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazulla. The duo first crossed paths at West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball, where Calhoun was an assistant coach and Mazulla was a player on the team.
Then, when Calhoun became head coach at Fairmont State University, he hired Mazzulla as an assistant coach. They worked together for three seasons as Calhoun sowed the coaching seeds into Mazulla.
Now, as Calhoun returns to Cincinnati after graduating from there in 2004 and previously working as a student assistant under all of Famer Bob Huggins, he shared the role Mazulla will play for the program. Calhoun revealed he was the best man at Mazulla’s wedding.
“Joe Mazzola is one of my best friends,” Calhoun said. “I was the best man in his wedding. I coached him at West Virginia. So he’s going to be involved in the program. Now, you know, we want to get you guys back. We’re talking about doing a fantasy camp. We used to run one at West Virginia. So we might have you guys get back as well if we can get your schedules cleared, as I know you guys are doing a lot.”
Jerrod Calhoun Once Shared Massive Respect for Joe Mazulla
When Jerrod Calhoun left Fairmount State to take the role at Youngstown State in 2017, Mazulla succeeded him as head coach. Calhoun personally vouched for the Celtics’ head coach, and that’s how he got his first taste of leading a team as head coach.
During his interview with Sporting News in Oct. 2022, Calhoun spoke highly about Mazulla’s coaching acumen, saying he was smart.
“Even back then, he was one of the smartest guys in the room, player or coach,” Calhoun told The Sporting News. “He had a great understanding of both sides of the ball, knew a lot about the game, and studied the game.”
When Mazulla first became an NBA head coach, Calhoun was not surprised at all.
“I knew in about two weeks how good he really was,” Calhoun said. “I’m not surprised at all that he’s an NBA head coach. I’m surprised under these circumstances.
“But I think this is a guy that is really, really, really smart when it comes to basketball. Obviously, he knows his X’s and O’s, but he’s got the full package. He understands the game, and he understands people. He was the best skill development coach I’ve ever seen. I’ve worked with a lot of coaches. He could take a player and really get that player to believe. Not only believe, but install those things that he needed to get better.”
Despite their different paths, it appears Mazulla and Calhoun’s relationship have only grown stronger.
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