Luke Whitehouse
@Lwhitehouse12
There are only 30 current NBA coaches in the National Basketball Association.
The chances your high school has produced one of those coaches?
Low.
These chances of two?
Slim to none.
Bishop Hendricken has done just that. Denver Nuggets head coach and recent NBA Finals champion Mike Malone attended the school from 1984-1986 before finishing out at Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey. Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzula graduated from Bishop Hendricken in 2006. But unlike Malone, current head coach and athletic director Jamal Gomes had the pleasure of coaching Mazzulla in his high school days.
“We are extremely proud of our alumni that are doing it at the highest level,” Gomes said. “Joe Mazzulla is one of our all time great players [as well].”
Gomes also has two assistant coaches that played under him in Jimmy Baron (Spurs), and Joe’s brother Justin (Jazz).
During his time as a Hawk, Mazzulla kickstarted the school’s first dynasty from 2004-2010. He was a part of Hendricken’s first three Rhode Island state championships.
After graduating from the University of West Virginia, where he helped the Mountaineers reach the 2010 Final Four, Mazzulla immediately went into coaching.
This did not come as a surprise to Gomes, who remembers the words Mazzulla uttered right after graduating.
“I remember how 10 years ago I had a conversation with him when he was just starting to get into coaching after he left West Virginia,” Gomes said. “And so we were having a conversation and he’s like, ‘I want to be a head coach in the NBA.’ [I said] Joe, you can do it. You keep working hard, make the right connections and good things will happen.”
Gomes knew his advice would pay dividends because of Mazzulla’s characteristics as a player – something he could take with him as a coach.
“[Joe] was the toughest guy on the floor every single night, every single practice,” Gomes said. “He understood the game at a level that most high school guys weren’t thinking about. There would be times during games he would come up to me and say ‘coach, there in a matchup zone. I think we should do this. I think we should try this.’ So when you have that level of communication and understanding and your players, beautiful things happen.”
Gomes also added:
“He was one of those players who made everybody better around him.”
After taking assistant jobs with Glenville State and Fairmont State, Mazzulla took a job with the Boston Celtics G-league affiliate, the Maine Red Claws. After that, he was hired full time as the head coach at Fairmont State – leading them to the 2019 NCAA Division II tournament.
After that, due to his relationship with Brad Stevens, Mazzulla returned to New England, this time as an assistant coach with the Celtics.
Mazzulla was thrusted into action as interim head coach just before the start of last season, eventually being named the permanent head coach – accomplishing his goal.
He didn’t just accomplish his goal, though. Mazzulla led the Celtics to the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Asked if there were any similarities between the two, Gomes chuckled.
“He doesn’t like to use timeouts and I don’t like to use timeouts.”
In addition to his basketball IQ, what sets him apart as a coach is his personality, and the bonds he forms with his players.
“For one, he’s smart. He knows the game inside and out,” Gomes said. “He understands the importance of relationships. Last year he got rushed into that role with the Celtics. It was a really big learning experience for him. This year, he’s really taken ownership of that position.”
As Mazzulla navigates his season with the Celtics, and Gomes does the same with the Hawks, the rise of a hard working, smart player to the head coach of one of the most prominent NBA franchises still sits with Gomes, who treats Mazzulla like family.
“Joe is like my son,” he said. “Seeing him achieve the level of success that he has is like a dad watching his son grow up. It’s a beautiful story and I’m very proud of him.”
Photo courtesy of Nick Pantages