Joe Mazzulla Set For Meaningful Homecoming After Latest Celtics Achievement originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Joe Mazzulla’s rise from a Division II assistant to an NBA championship-winning head coach happened quickly enough to feel almost improbable. Long before Mazzulla guided the Boston Celtics to the 2024 NBA championship or earned 2026 NBA Coach of the Year honors, however, he was learning the profession alongside Jerrod Calhoun at Fairmont State.
The two coaches now will reunite for an event that brings Mazzulla back to his basketball roots.
The University of Cincinnati announced Tuesday that Mazzulla will headline its 2026 Tip-Off Dinner on Sept. 23 at Fifth Third Arena. Mazzulla will participate in a panel discussion with Calhoun, who is entering his second season as the Bearcats’ head coach.
Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Famer Tony Pike will serve as the event’s emcee. It represents another deserved honor for Mazzulla after his latest successful season in Boston, but the personal connection makes this appearance far more meaningful than a typical offseason speaking engagement.
Joe Mazzulla’s Coaching Journey Started With Jerrod CalhounMazzulla and Calhoun share a relationship that dates back to their time at West Virginia. Calhoun worked as an assistant under Bob Huggins when Mazzulla played guard for the Mountaineers. Mazzulla served as a captain on West Virginia’s 2010 Final Four team and later entered coaching after completing his playing career.
The annual Tip-Off Dinner returns Sept. 23, headlined by Celtics Head Coach Joe Mazzulla!
Season ticket holders and UCATS donors will receive purchase information via email today. Remaining tickets go on sale to the public Thursday.
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Calhoun gave Mazzulla one of his earliest opportunities, hiring him as an assistant at Fairmont State in 2013. Mazzulla spent three seasons on Calhoun’s staff before briefly joining the Maine Red Claws, now known as the Maine Celtics, as an assistant. When Calhoun left Fairmont State for Youngstown State, Mazzulla ultimately returned to replace his former mentor as head coach.
Mazzulla led Fairmont State from 2017 until 2019, when the Celtics hired him as an assistant. Boston promoted him to interim head coach before the 2022-23 season and removed the interim label in February 2023.
Less than two years after unexpectedly taking over the Celtics, Mazzulla became the youngest head coach since Bill Russell in 1969 to win an NBA championship.
His appearance in Cincinnati will bring that journey full circle.
It also will give attendees an opportunity to hear directly from two coaches who have watched each other develop from different stages of their careers.
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Celtics Coach Has Made His Appreciation For Calhoun ClearMazzulla offered an emphatic endorsement of Calhoun when Cincinnati hired the veteran coach in March.
“Jerrod Calhoun has had a huge impact on my coaching career,” Mazzulla said in a statement shared by the school. “His energy, passion and ability to connect with players is elite. He develops student-athletes on and off the court and builds a culture that’s tough, accountable and built to win.”
Those qualities sound familiar to anyone who has followed Mazzulla’s Celtics tenure. Boston’s coach has emphasized accountability, preparation and mental toughness since taking charge. His unconventional methods and intense personality have attracted plenty of attention, but the results have validated his approach.
Mazzulla followed the 2024 championship by continuing to establish himself among the NBA’s premier coaches. His 2026 Coach of the Year award added an individual honor to a résumé that already included the league’s ultimate team accomplishment.
The Cincinnati appearance also shows how much his reputation has grown beyond Boston. Mazzulla will not attend simply as Calhoun’s former assistant. He will arrive as an NBA champion and the league’s reigning Coach of the Year, sharing lessons from a remarkable climb that began at the Division II level.
Tickets for the dinner are scheduled to go on sale Thursday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m. ET for $100. Proceeds will benefit the Cincinnati Men’s Basketball Development Fund. For Mazzulla, the night offers a chance to support an influential figure from his past. For Celtics fans, it provides another reminder of just how far Boston’s head coach has come and how quickly he completed the journey.
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