Joe Mazzulla reveals West Virginia did not contact him about head coaching job

Joe Mazzulla is set to defend his NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, facing the Orlando Magic in the upcoming first round. But his alma mater, West Virginia, recently had a job opening after the sudden departure of Darian DeVries.

Maybe the Mountaineers would give Mazzulla a call, asking if he would be interested in taking over the program. While there was communication between him and West Virginia over the job, conversations had nothing to do with his own status. Mazulla spoke about others he had previously worked with.

“No,” Mazzulla said via Pardon My Take. “They did but not to coach the team. They should have called in January… A couple people I knew, they were talking about, I had worked with, that were up for the job. I liked that they didn’t (ask him to coach) because then they know I can’t go back.”

Part of what he said was a joke, referencing a tough stretch the Celtics had in the regular season. Boston finished the month of January with a record of 9-6 and, for a few games, alternated between wins and losses. Mazulla, being the intense person he is, said he thought he was going to be fired at one point

Of course, there was never really a threat of Boton making a move, even in today’s crazy coaching decisions inside the NBA. The Celtics are going to be widely considered the favorite to win the Eastern Conference again and make the NBA Finals. Plenty of predictions will be out there for another championship too.

Some contract security is there for Mazzulla as well. Next year will be the final one on his deal but seeing anything other than an extension would be surprising. After all, he could have back-to-back championships to his name by the summer.

As for West Virginia, their coaching search took them to the Lone Star State. Ross Hodge will take over the program after previously being at North Texas. There is no previous crossover between Hodge and Mazulla throughout their coaching careers.

Maybe somewhere down the road, Mazzulla could make his way back to Morgantown. He is still a big fan of the place where he played college basketball. And one thing is for certain, Mazzulla is a heck of a coach. Grabbing him away from the Boston Celtics may be a little too difficult, though — just ask other big-time programs out there.