‘To Learn and to Serve’: Why BlackJacks Coach Mazzulla Chose the CEBL
Justin Mazzulla has had no shortage of coaching role models in his life.
His dad, Daniel Mazzulla Jr., coached boys and girls high-school teams growing up in Johnston, R.I. His brother, Joe Mazzulla, won the 2024 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics.
Justin also played for multiple coaches in his career on the court, which spanned NCAA stops at George Washington and Vermont before moving onto the sidelines as a video co-ordinator with the Utah Jazz.
Yet despite the bevy of potential idols, it’s a legendary hockey coach from whom Mazzulla takes inspiration.
“I like Herb Brooks' coaching style,” Mazzulla said. “It's a great movie, obviously, with the end, but I just like the team and the journey of the team.”
Mazzulla is referring to the movie
Miracle,
which depicts the Brooks-led 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s underdog triumph over the Soviet Union in Salt Lake City. He said he watches the film often as motivation.
Now in his first head-coaching stint as leader of the Ottawa BlackJacks, it wouldn’t be classified as miraculous if Mazzulla got his hands on the championship trophy next month.
But the BlackJacks do sit in the middle of a dogged Eastern Conference playoff race as the season enters its final games, and it
would be considered an upset of sorts for any team other than the conference-leading Scarborough Shooting Stars to represent the East in the Finals.
Mazzulla said his team isn’t paying close attention to the standings.
“Whether we have a solidified spot in first or second or third or fourth, we're still competing for the playoffs and then pushing towards the championship. So managing expectations in that journey is super important,” he said.
When Mazzulla was hired by the BlackJacks in January, he became the youngest head coach in CEBL history at 27 years, 26 days at the time of his appointment.
It’s a role the December baby said he has envisioned and manifested for his whole life, taking over the bench of a professional basketball team.
The end game, if all goes to plan, is to be an NBA head coach.
“But I think right now, just my ultimate goal is to help others be the best version of themselves and to learn from everybody. To learn and to serve,” Mazzulla said.
Even though he played, Mazzulla always knew his ultimate destiny in basketball would be on the sidelines.
After finishing his NCAA career, he took on a role as a graduate assistant at the University of Rhode Island before joining the Jazz as assistant video co-ordinator and their G League squad as assistant coach.
“I always just wanted to be a coach. I think as a player, I was a player's coach. I'm a coach's son. So it kind of was helping people be the best version of themselves and I tried it on the court and it always stuck and I always wanted to do it,” he said.
For Mazzulla, then, it made sense to spend a summer in Canada’s capital, where he could take the reins for the first time in a league full of players who are just trying to be better.
That’s his why, after all. In Ottawa, he specifically mentioned helping U Sports player Justin Ndjock-Tadjore understand and grow into his role while challenging star guard Javonte Smart to become more of a vocal leader.
“Everyone has a skill and everyone has something to bring to the table. The best part is helping that person find that skill or that talent and helping the person see it all come together with a team and taking one person, helping them see the best version of themselves and applying it from a holistic standpoint,” Mazzulla said.
“So kind of like doing a puzzle, just trying to help someone see the beauty in there and what they have and then putting it in to see a bigger picture.”
Still, as a rookie coach, he reached out to brother Joe for some advice before taking over the BlackJacks.
While the Celtics boss didn’t offer him all the solutions, he did provide a different kind of guidance.
“In terms of timeout usage, game management, substitution patterns, offensive execution patterns — instead of him speaking his philosophy, he more was like, ‘If you find this situation, you could maybe try and go about it this way, but it always doesn't mean it leads to something that you may like,’” Justin said.
Besides, Joe has never coached in the CEBL, which is a whole different animal than the NBA when considering the FIBA rules, Canadian lineups and Target Score Time.
Justin said the latter has been his biggest adjustment: “the importance of executing and how you can get your team to in crucial moments work together to get the best shot and not fall in love with hunting nine points.”
He said his offensive tactics with the clock off have evolved drastically from the beginning of the season.
It’s all part of the learning experience.
“You build relationships with tons of different people and you just gain different experiences and see different things each and every game,” he said.
And perhaps, if things go to plan for the BlackJacks the next few weeks, he’ll have his own ‘Miracle on Hardwood.’
