Justin Mazzulla
| Ottawa Blackjacks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Head coach |
| League | CEBL |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, Rhode Island) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 2026–present | Ottawa Blackjacks |
Justin Mazzulla is an American professional basketball coach and former basketball player who currently serves as the head coach of the Ottawa Blackjacks in the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Mazzulla is a native of Johnston, RI and attended high school at Bishop Hendricken High School.[3] His older brother is Joe Mazzulla, currently the head coach of the Boston Celtics. He is the son of Dan and Latresa Mazzulla.[4] His father Dan Mazzulla was a former basketball player and coach.[5] Both Justin's brother Joe and father Dan were star players in their playing days, with Joe being a top player at Bishop Hendricken and in college at the University of West Virginia while Dan played at Johnston Senior High School and Bryant University.[6]
Playing career
[edit]A 3-star recruit, Mazzulla was ranked as the #408 player nationally and #1 player in Rhode Island in the class of 2017 according to 247Sports, receiving offers from Boston College and George Washington before committing to George Washington.[7]
Mazzulla played his first three seasons of college basketball for the George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team from 2017 to 2020.[3] On January 31, 2018, during his freshman year, Mazzulla made his first collegiate start in a game against Duquesne.[8][9] In his sophomore year with the Revolutionaries in the 2018-19 season, Mazzulla averaged a college career-high 8.9 points per game and started all 33 games he played.[3] In two plus years with the Colonials, Mazzulla appeared in 70 games and made 45 starts.[4] On December 29, 2018, Mazzulla scored a then career-high 19 points in a 71-67 win over American University.[10]
In 2020, Mazzulla transferred to the Vermont Catamounts men's basketball team. He played two seasons for the Catamounts in the 2020–21 and 2021-22 seasons, averaging 8.3 points per game in his senior year and 7.5 points per game in his fifth year.[3] On January 17, 2021, Mazzulla recorded a career-high 23 points in an 88-60 win over the University of Maine.[11][12][13] In the 2021-2022 season, he was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll.[4]
He was a key piece for the 2021-22 Catamounts that finished the season with a 28-6 overall record, an America East regular season title, America East tournament title, and NCAA tournament appearance.[14] Mazzulla played his final collegiate game on March 17, 2022 in the 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in Vermont's 75-71 loss to Arkansas.[15][16]
Coaching career
[edit]After his playing career, Mazzulla was a graduate assistant at the University of Rhode Island.[17][18][19]
Mazzulla has been an assistant video coordinator for the Utah Jazz and an assistant coach and video coordinator for the Salt Lake City Stars.[20]
On January 22, 2026, Mazzulla was named the head coach of the Ottawa BlackJacks.[1][20]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Ottawa Black Jacks (January 22, 2026). "Ottawa BlackJacks name Justin Mazzulla as Head Coach". The Black Jacks. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Ottawa BlackJacks (@ott_blackjacks) on X". January 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Justin Mazzulla College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- 1 2 3 "Justin Mazzulla - Men's Basketball". University of Vermont Athletics.
- ↑ "Bishop Hendricken's Justin Mazzulla blazing a trail of his own". www.espn.com. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Bill Reynolds: Justin Mazzulla building a legacy of his own". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2026-07-16. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla Recruit Interests". 247sports.com.
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla 2017-18 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ Driver, David (February 15, 2018). "Mazzulla takes charge as freshman point guard at George Washington". johnstonsunrise.net.
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla 2018-19 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ "Maine vs. Vermont Box Score (Men), January 17, 2021". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla 2020-21 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ Kramsky, Marshall (November 17, 2021). "A Catamount's fight to 'Get Better'". WPTZ.
- ↑ Koch, Bill. "For ex-Hendricken star Justin Mazzulla, Vermont has proved a great fit". The Providence Journal.
- ↑ "Vermont vs. Arkansas Box Score (Men), March 17, 2022". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla 2021-22 Game Log". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- ↑ "Ottawa BlackJacks name Justin Mazzulla as Head Coach".
- ↑ "Justin Mazzulla - Graduate Assistant - Men's Basketball Coaches". University of Rhode Island.
- ↑ Koch, Bill. "URI men's basketball adds grad assistants with local ties: Justin Mazzulla and Andrew Chrabascz". The Providence Journal.
- 1 2 "Mazzulla Becomes CEBL's Youngest Head Coach". Archived from the original on 2026-02-14. Retrieved 2026-06-20.