There is an opening on the Hawks coaching staff.
Quin Snyder was hired as head coach of the Jazz Friday. Snyder spent last season as an assistant with the Hawks on the staff of first-year coach Mike Budenholzer. Snyder will be formally introduced at a press conference Saturday morning in Utah.
“The opportunity to join the Utah Jazz and to be part of such a highly respected franchise with an incredibly bright future is a great honor,” Snyder said in a statement released by the Jazz. “I approach this opportunity with gratitude and humility and am committed to doing everything I can to help the Jazz become a championship-caliber team.”
Hawks general manager Danny Ferry acknowledged earlier this week that the Jazz asked for permission to speak to Snyder about their head coaching vacancy and that he was a candidate for the position.
“We are extremely happy for Quin and his family,” Budenholzer said Friday. “He played an instrumental role within our coaching staff and team. This is a great opportunity for him and we wish him the best.”
Snyder will replace Tyrone Corbin as the eighth head coach of the Jazz and fifth since the organization relocated to Utah in 1979.
“We were very disciplined and thorough in our process, which has resulted in hiring Quin to lead this team into a new era for Jazz basketball,” Jazz President Randy Rigby said in a statement. “He has been affiliated with tremendous coaches and programs throughout his career from Duke University to the Atlanta Hawks. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback regarding Quin from some of the most respected basketball minds in the game.”
Before joining the Hawks, Snyder was an assistant coach for CSKA Moscow. He has also served as an assistant in the NBA with the Lakers, 76ers and Clippers. He was the head coach of the Austin Toros, the Spurs’ NBA Development League affiliate, and the University of Missouri. He also was an associate head coach at his alma mater Duke.
Hawks players, especially DeMarre Carroll, were very complimentary of the job Snyder did with the team this season.
“I’m sad but I am also happy for him,” Carroll said Friday. “He is ready for this.”
The Hawks credited Snyder for his vast knowledge of pick-and-roll offenses and player development. He spent much pre- and post-practice time working with Kyle Korver, notably on getting open off screens, and Carroll as well as other players.
“Quin Snyder combines a unique skillset with several intangibles that makes him the right fit for our team and approach to basketball,” Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey said in a statement. “He is passionate about the game and has a 20-year track record of teaching and developing young talent. His personality, work ethic and communications skills are important traits that will benefit the Utah Jazz. We have taken a significant and exciting step forward in the evolution of this franchise.”
At Missouri, Snyder led the Tigers to a 128-96 record from 1999-2006 and four NCAA Tournament berths.
Snyder was a guard at Duke from 1985-89. He played in 136 games, including three Final Four appearances. He was a team captain and an Academic All American as a senior.
