Joe Mazzulla is the son of a basketball coach, Dan Mazzulla.
Dan Mazzula attended Johnston Senior High School in Johnston, Rhode Island, where he led the team to two Suburban Division championships in 1974 and 1975 as well as a runner-up finish in 1976.
He was named to the second-team All-State selection in 1976 and was a three-time-all league selection.
In 2007, Mazzulla was inducted into the Bryant Hall of Fame. He retired as head coach of the Johnson girls basketball team in 2011, citing his heavy workload and travel schedule. Mazzulla was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2019 but continued coaching his grandson’s recreation basketball team.