Johnston community shares positive impacts from Mazzulla family

JOHNSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Johnston residents said they are excited to be cheering on head coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla.

“When I see Joe coach it reminds me of [his father Dan] and how he coached,” resident Cameron Iasimone said.

Mazzulla is a native of Johnston.

“It means a lot for us as a community,” resident Thomas Colombo. “We are just this little dot on the map and he is out there doing it big, it’s awesome to see.”

Iasimone and Colombo said they were both coached by Joe Mazzulla’s father Dan.

“The way he speaks and demands respect, the way he connects with the players, that was Danny’s biggest thing, was investing in people,” Iasimone said.

The older Mazzulla died in April 2020 after a battle with brain cancer.

“You always have to be true to yourself and stick to your guns and bet on yourself at the end of the day because if Joe didn’t do that and wasn’t raised that way, he wouldn’t be in the spot he is in right now,” Colombo said.

Seeing the parallels between Joe and his father came easily for residents like Iasimone.

“That grit and that hustle and that mentality that Danny had and he put into his family is now being portrayed for the entire world to see and Joe is a mirror image of everything this town is and everything this town has to offer,” he said.