Despite finding many infractions of club policy, owner Wyc Grousbeck stated Friday that the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics will not reinstate coach Ime Udoka following a months-long inquiry by an independent law firm.
The Celtics will be looking to a young, unproven leader as they navigate this difficult time. After Ime Udoka was suspended for the whole season, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens announced on Friday that Joe Mazzulla will serve as temporary head coach of the Celtics.
Stevens chose the 34-year-old as an assistant coach in 2019, despite his lack of previous experience, and the Celtics are highly sure that he is the ideal guy for a challenging task.
What Brad Stevens thinks of Joe Mazzulla
“He is an exceptionally sharp and talented person. Joe’s the best choice to [take over] by a long shot. As you go through the whole process it all hits you, but we have the best people in place to do that, and Joe is the best person to do that in our organization.”
After two successful seasons as head coach of the Fairmont State men’s basketball team during which they went 43-17, Mazzulla joined the Celtics’ coaching staff in 2019 and has been there ever since. He had previously worked as an assistant at Glenville State. Along with his time spent coaching at the university level, Mazzulla also worked as an assistant with the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics’ G League side.
