Damon Stoudamire leaving Celtics for Georgia Tech

Ale Xander

Hamilton
SoSH Member
Oct 31, 2013
72,428
When is he leaving? Now or after the NBA season or sometime in between?

When does the heavy recruiting season start?
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
When is he leaving? Now or after the NBA season or sometime in between?

When does the heavy recruiting season start?
Today…..

And Today.

Transfer protocol opens today and this has overtaken traditional HS recruiting as the most crucial time of the year for coaches to build their team. You also have the grad transfer pools to navigate through as well.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
He did kind of get skipped over by Mazzulla, right? Can't really blame Mighty Mouse.
Not really. Mazzulla was a Stevens guy who was the only assistant retained from his staff. He was always THE guy here for whoever was hired per Brad and I believe interviewed for another head job last summer while Ime went out and recruited Damon to be added to his staff. It’s like a 4-5x pay jump…..that’s the real reason.
 

RG33

Certain Class of Poster
SoSH Member
Nov 28, 2005
7,199
CA
Liked him as a player, liked him as a Celts coach, good luck.

Go Celts.
 

Van Everyman

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2009
26,991
Newton
He was also one of Ime's closest friends. I have to imagine Joe being made permanent (and Ime being canned) may have also led to Damon making this decision.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

Member
SoSH Member
Sep 10, 2017
5,959
He was also one of Ime's closest friends. I have to imagine Joe being made permanent (and Ime being canned) may have also led to Damon making this decision.
Yes I was thinking the same, especially since Joe will be given a lot of rope as a young guy hand-picked by Brad I'd think. Damon is 50 himself and probably thinks the time is now or never to shoot for a D-I or NBA head coaching spot. If he waited until the coming offseason with the hopes of interviewing for an NBA HC job, Damon oddly may have been competing with Ime Udoka.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Yes I was thinking the same, especially since Joe will be given a lot of rope as a young guy hand-picked by Brad I'd think. Damon is 50 himself and probably thinks the time is now or never to shoot for a D-I or NBA head coaching spot. If he waited until the coming offseason with the hopes of interviewing for an NBA HC job, Damon oddly may have been competing with Ime Udoka.
My guess is that after Stoudamire got in his coasting apprenticeship as an NBA assistant to secure the head job at Pacific as a stepping stone to a big job, he realized that direct shot wasn’t ever coming even after turning the Pacific program around.

Ime brought him on with a pay bump (2-3x?) as a guy he trusted (and also had ears closer to the players) and like Joe, he moved up a notch after Ime was suspended. Between his success as a college head coach and an intregal part of the Celtics coaching staff with their success this is what put him in line for his big payday. Good for him….that’s a coaching path success story.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
wouldn't be surprised if Brad re-approaches JJ Redick this summer to be an Assistant. This team lacks coaches with ex-NBA veteran experience with Damon exiting.
 

JCizzle

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 11, 2006
20,530
wouldn't be surprised if Brad re-approaches JJ Redick this summer to be an Assistant. This team lacks coaches with ex-NBA veteran experience with Damon exiting.
JJ would need to be half crazy to leave a podcast and ESPN broadcasting gig for an assistant coach position, no? Seems like he's positioned to make way more in his current role with far less work involved.
 

benhogan

Granite Truther
SoSH Member
Nov 2, 2007
20,111
Santa Monica
JJ would need to be half crazy to leave a podcast and ESPN broadcasting gig for an assistant coach position, no? Seems like he's positioned to make way more in his current role with far less work involved.
Redick met with Brad after IME was out and Joe was named HC. He was interested in the Celtics.

He said on his pod that it was too fast, had commitments, and wanted to coach his kids' team. He played golf with Joe and they talked about it last fall during the preseason.

JJ also seemed pretty annoyed with the media/ESPN hypocrisy recently. BUT I agree with you he'd be nutz to give up his media gig, he's very good at it.
 

Smokey Joe

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 9, 2001
1,155
Redick met with Brad after IME was out and Joe was named HC. He was interested in the Celtics.

He said on his pod that it was too fast, had commitments, and wanted to coach his kids' team. He played golf with Joe and they talked about it last fall during the preseason.

JJ also seemed pretty annoyed with the media/ESPN hypocrisy recently. BUT I agree with you he'd be nutz to give up his media gig, he's very good at it.
Sometimes what you’re good at is not what you want to do.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
What was CDS's main role with the Celtics?
He was Mazzulla’s top assistant and right hand man, the only person on our staff with that level of experience. Basically, since the summer we’ve lost two of our three coaches with high level experience and moved up the least experienced one to head coach. None of this purposely but that’s how it’s played out.

As far as specifics I’d imagine as a long-time NBA point guard he’s working with the guards more than anything.

Edit: Remember that aside from Mazzulla, every assistant coach was an Udoka guy, including the next two on the totem poll in Aaron Miles and Ben Sullivan. Expect a full overhaul in the offseason as these guys move on and up elsewhere (very likely wherever Ime lands).
 
Last edited:

Mahkis Smaht

New Member
Feb 15, 2023
55
He was Mazzulla’s top assistant and right hand man, the only person on our staff with that level of experience. Basically, since the summer we’ve lost two of our three coaches with high level experience and moved up the least experienced one to head coach. None of this purposely but that’s how it’s played out.

As far as specifics I’d imagine as a long-time NBA point guard he’s working with the guards more than anything.

Edit: Remember that aside from Mazzulla, every assistant coach was an Udoka guy, including the next two on the totem poll in Aaron Miles and Ben Sullivan. Expect a full overhaul in the offseason as these guys move on and up elsewhere (very likely wherever Ime lands).
Thanks. This might be the first time GT has gotten a coach where the team he's leaving is sad to see him go. Memphis was ready to throw a party when GT hired Josh Pastner. Same but a little less so with Dayton and Brian Gregory. I follow the Cs more than GT basketball but I still think this is a net positive for my fandom.
 

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,475
Melrose, MA
He was Mazzulla’s top assistant and right hand man, the only person on our staff with that level of experience. Basically, since the summer we’ve lost two of our three coaches with high level experience and moved up the least experienced one to head coach. None of this purposely but that’s how it’s played out.

As far as specifics I’d imagine as a long-time NBA point guard he’s working with the guards more than anything.

Edit: Remember that aside from Mazzulla, every assistant coach was an Udoka guy, including the next two on the totem poll in Aaron Miles and Ben Sullivan. Expect a full overhaul in the offseason as these guys move on and up elsewhere (very likely wherever Ime lands).
Did they hire an assistant to replace Mazzulla when he bacame head coach? If not they are 2 assistant coaches down now. Although teams have so many that each roster player almost has their own assistant coach, so maybe down 2 assistant coahes is no biggie.

Losing 3 of the top 4 (Ime, Hardy, Stoudamire, Mazzulla) within a year is a lot though.
 

HomeRunBaker

bet squelcher
SoSH Member
Jan 15, 2004
30,096
Did they hire an assistant to replace Mazzulla when he bacame head coach? If not they are 2 assistant coaches down now. Although teams have so many that each roster player almost has their own assistant coach, so maybe down 2 assistant coahes is no biggie.

Losing 3 of the top 4 (Ime, Hardy, Stoudamire, Mazzulla) within a year is a lot though.
I don’t believe they did since anyone in the mix for a low level Asst job would already be working somewhere. Like you said though, there are so many assistants they just split up any additional responsibilities once Mazzulla moved up. With the reg season coming to an end and the extra time between games and series of the playoffs the only concern I have is nobody with high level assistant experience being there for Mazzulla. This summer is going to be interesting though.