In Boston, Joe Macula created the “Celtic University”

Private Jason Tatum For many months, the Celtics could ignore this season. Especially after a summer marked by deep upheavals with the departures of Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. This is not the case as Boston, with a rejuvenated squad, has just won 14 of its last 18 games, and is back in the 3rd place in their conference with a record of 19 wins and 11 losses.

The key to this recovery has a name: Joe Mazzulla. Faced with the loss of several big-name players in the 2024 title, the manager has fundamentally overhauled his way of training, to the extent that the players have dubbed this new approach ‘Celtic University’.

“Everyone looks at the talent we lost, but above all we lost intelligent players… We lost our state of mind, we lost our continuity,” explains the coach. “So the question is: How do we recreate that as quickly as possible?”

Pedagogy, teaching…

Faced with this challenge, Joe Macula changed his tone, especially during the video sessions, as Peyton Pritchard explains. “It’s more learning now. It’s not just yelling at guys.”trusts the leader. “Of course, there are times when we get hit, but we learn as we go along and get better and better in certain situations.”

This heightened pedagogy is illustrated on the pitch by the emergence of Neemias Cueto, Jordan Walsh or even Hugo Gonzalez and Josh Minot. For Jaylen Brown, the impact of this educational approach is obvious.

“We call it – at least Joe and I call it the Celtic University,” Jailen Brown confirmed. “It’s like being in class: you have to pay attention. We’re working on how to approach each match, from a strategic and tactical point of view.”

For Josh Minot, who arrived this season, the difference with previous experiences is obvious.

“This is Celtics basketball!” “, he sums up bluntly. “From what I’ve learned, it’s about playing harder than the other team, playing more physical, being an ass… I try to wear the opponent down mentally, emotionally, physically.”