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This summer, Mazzulla has taken that commitment to another level; it’s mid-July, and he has already spent time with four different players in four different parts of the world: Jordan Walsh in Texas, Baylor Scheierman in Nebraska, Hugo Gonzalez in Spain, and Neemias Queta in Portugal.
Walsh said he learned things about Mazzulla he never knew, and that the rare quality time was valuable. “Jordan and I had a great conversation, just kind of understanding how he grew up,” Mazzulla said. “But really, it’s not even about learning about that. I think guys are more comfortable in their home atmosphere. So, even the types of conversations that you’re having are more comfortable, and it might spark different questions, different conversations if you’re on their home territory. We had deeper conversations because we were in a more vulnerable situation.”
Walsh was (positively) caught off guard when Mazzulla first initiated the visit. “I was definitely surprised,” Walsh recalled with a smile. “Like, what the hell does Joe want? But it was cool. It was so cool that he was making that kind of effort to come see me.” Walsh joked he kept Mazzulla out of the trouble: “I kept him in the good part of the city, where it’s good food, good people. He didn’t get to experience the other side. Maybe one day.”
In early July, Mazzulla was on the other side of the world, supporting Hugo Gonzalez in the World Cup qualifying tournament in Madrid, Spain. “We went out to dinner a couple times,” Gonzalez said. “He went to every practice — so really, really grateful that he was willing to be there.” Knowing that Mazzulla is a big soccer fan, Gonzalez took him to the Bernabéu, the second-largest football arena in the country, as well as other notable venues. “I try to show him where I’ve been eight or nine years of my life,” Gonzalez said. “The ones who built me as a player, and he wanted to know it, so I just showed him Valdebebas, [which] is like the Auerbach Center of Real Madrid.”
At the beginning of June, Mazzulla flew to Lisbon to work out with Neemias Queta in the gym where he first learned how to play the game he now excels at. That came just a few weeks before Queta signed a long-term extension with the franchise. Mazzulla rebounded for Queta at the Futebol Clube Barreirense, the first club in which Queta ever played basketball. “It’s just surreal,” Queta said. “A couple years ago, if you had said an NBA coach is coming to that specific gym just to see me and get to know me, I would have been like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’ Joe makes sure — he wants to make that extra step, extra effort, just to make sure you feel comfortable. And I think that’s one of the reasons why he’s such a good coach. He worries about people, and that’s why I’m running through a wall for him.”
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Former Aurora Husky, and current Boston Celtic, Baylor Scheierman, spoke at the EPIC Discovery Center in Grand Island on Tuesday, speaking to students as apart of the Meet Your Heroes summer camp. The camp is available to students in kindergarten and first grade.
Ultimately, though the Celtics were willing to part with Brown, they weren't willing to also include young prospects Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman to land Antetokounmpo, a decision that has put them in an awkward situation with Brown. Multiple sources say the team is still engaging in trade discussions for the five-time All-Star. Says one league source: "It'd be insane for Boston to bring him back after dangling him so publicly." Says another: "I wouldn't do a damn thing. Those two guys are so good, you can't just trade Jaylen because it's awkward. Make everyone come back and figure it out."
Baylor Scheierman on guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: I mean it's cool. I mean, obviously it shows the trust like Joe (Mazzulla) has in me and the trust my teammates have in me and it's cool. It's cool to have that and build that and obviously I feel like I've worked really hard to be able to put myself in this position and the thing about the NBA is there's always another game. I said it last night like it was a fun game and obviously it's cool to be able to play well in that type of environment, but like we play again tomorrow. So, it's just like, oh well, like on to the next game type vibe.
On the court, White’s teammates expressed the same disbelief. “That was impressive to make the play,” Brown said. ”I look up, and I’m thinking that Larson has a wide open layup, and then D-White comes flying out of nowhere. That’s impressive. That’s like First Team All-Defense type stuff. Those are Defensive Player of the Year-type plays.” “It was a great play,” Joe Mazzulla echoed. After the game, White sat at his locker room chatting with Baylor Scheierman. He wasn’t one of the four players selected to speak to the media after the win, and was surprised when I approached him. “You’re the subject of my postgame story,” I announced.
Baylor Scheierman is no longer starting — Jayson Tatum reclaimed his spot in the starting lineup when he made his season debut on March 6th — but he’s continued to play a pivotal part in the Celtics’ success. That might be a surprise to some, who saw him struggle in Las Vegas in July and begin the season toward the bottom of the depth chart. But Scheierman smiled when asked if he was surprised at the success he’s had this season. The answer was an obvious ‘no.’ “The work I put in coming into my rookie year, coming into this year, has prepared me for this,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s just taking it one day at a time, one game at a time. I’m super blessed and grateful for the opportunity, and I just try to take advantage of that. But to answer your question, no, I’m not surprised. I’m super confident in my abilities.”
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Garza credits Boston’s coaching staff for getting the most out of the guys. It’s easy to look at him, Neemias Queta, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo Gonzalez, and Jordan Walsh as prime examples of what it takes to stay ready so they don’t have to get ready. “We do have a lot of great coaches who understand the game at a high level and push us in the right ways and kinda put you in a good spot,” Garza said. “I think that's helped. They put us out there. “But at the end of the day, all of us are just guys who've worked hard our entire careers and wanted the chance to show it, but haven't necessarily had the opportunity to. And so, when that time comes, luck, opportunity, timing, that's a recipe for success.”
Paul Pierce: I got to believe that coach Joe Mazzulla is hand down the coach of the year. Look who's out there on the court, the supporting cast, and not this not a knock on them but like, Payton Pritchard is the only mainstay… and then you out here with Scheierman and Garza contributing.
Boston Celtics: Injury Report for tomorrow vs. WAS: Baylor Scheierman - Right Ankle Sprain - PROBABLE Nikola Vucevic - Right Ring Finger Fracture - OUT Derrick White - Right Knee Contusion - PROBABLE
