One Coach's Approach

Joe Mazzulla refuses to call himself a championship head coach, because he doesn’t want his identity to be attached to outcomes

“I’m not a championship head coach. I’m just a guy that won a championship with a bunch of other people. It comes back to the identity piece. You start… pic.twitter.com/VswPFGtBLL

— Josh Chambers (@JoshChambers) August 23, 2026

Imagine this situation, names withheld. A former NFL coach is known as a guy that takes credit for wins and throws players under the bus for losses. Who wants to play for that guy? 

Control what you can control. Most high school coaches:

• Can't recruit
• Can't coach outside of the season
• Don't control the officiating 
• Don't have input on the postseason rankings

Wins and losses are one metric for judging coaches, yet aren't the whole picture. Access to practice, video, and other measures of team performance add grist for the mill but are imperfect measures. 

Longer-term performance coupled with a detailed understanding of a sport and the coach's process give you a chance at a more accurate assessment. 

Celtics' coach Joe Mazzulla clearly understands the limitations. His roster reflects NBA payroll realities and he's scheming a process to give his team the best chance to win. 

Coach Scott Celli and his staff have a young but experienced team and will make changes dictated by the performance of the players. 

The players ultimately decide the lineups by their performance. The earlier post, "Finish your plate" is accurate. 

Lagniappe. "Attack the attack."

Lagniappe 2. In baseball, it's "Slow feet, quick hands." In volleyball, "short arms, quick hands." 
 

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