Joseph Alexander Mullaney (November 17, 1924 – March 8, 2000) was an American professional basketball player and coach. Biography Mullaney was born on Long Island, New York. After graduating from Chaminade High School in Mineola he played college basketball at Holy Cross and with Bob Cousy was on the team that won the 1947 NCAA Championship. He played briefly for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. College coaching career After college, Mullaney was with the FBI before returning to basketball as coach at Norwich University in Vermont. Mullaney became head basketball coach at Providence College in 1955. He coached the Friars until 1969, returning in 1981, remaining until 1985. Mullaney went 319-164 during his 18 seasons, a winning percentage of .660. Mullaney won the 1961 and 1963 National Invitation Tournament championships at Providence. Mullaney also took the Friars to the NIT four other times and into the NCAA tournament three times. His assistant and protégé at Providence, Dave Gavitt, went on to be a successful coach of the Friars, taking them to the 1973 Final Four and eventually help founding of the Big East Conference. Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Mullaney left Providence in 1969 to coach the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, succeeding Butch van Breda Kolff who took the Lakers to the NBA Finals that year, losing 4-3 to the Boston Celtics. In the 1969–70 season the Lakers overcame several injury problems and finished 46-36, two games behind the first-place Atlanta Hawks in the Western Division. Wilt Chamberlain was lost to injury early in the season and Elgin Baylor was also lost to injury later; both returned in time for the playoffs. En route to the NBA Finals they defeated the Phoenix Suns in the division semifinals and Atlanta in the division finals. The Lakers lost the NBA Finals 4-3 to the New York Knicks. In the 1970–71 season the Lakers finished 48-34, first in the new Pacific Division. The Lakers defeated the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinal but lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Western Conference Finals. ABA coaching years In 1971 Mullaney became the fifth coach of the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association, succeeding Frank Ramsey in 1971. Mullaney coached the Colonels for two seasons before Babe McCarthy succeeded him for the 1973–74 season. In the 1971–72 season the talent-laden Colonels finished with a remarkable record