Former Hawks assistant Quin Snyder was announced as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz Friday. Snyder was the lead assistant for Coach Mike Budenholzer this past season and played a big role in the Hawks’ player development program. After years as a head coach in college and assistant coach in the NBA and Europe, Snyder is getting his first opportunity as head coach in the league.
In a statement released by the Jazz, Snyder spoke on his new position.
"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. 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.”
Coach Bud also congratulated Snyder on the new job.
"We are extremely happy for Quin and his family. He played an instrumental role within our coaching staff and team. This is a great opportunity for him and we wish him the best."
Coach Snyder had a huge impact on the development of the Hawks, both in individual development and in system development, working primarily with perimeter players and helping guys like Jeff Teague, Shelvin Mack and DeMarre Carroll have career years.
Snyder’s impact on the Hawks’ perimeter players was clear in the improvements they made on the court this season, and none were more apparent than DeMarre’s offensive improvement. Carroll made sure at exit interviews to offer praise to Snyder for Snyder’s help in working with him on his jump shot to help him become a more consistent three-point shooter.
“I have to give a shoutout to Coach Quin Snyder, because this was the first year a coach really worked with me on my footwork, my shot, and spent time with me. Credit to Coach Quin, cause that shows me that he cares about me as a person and cares about my career.”
That kind of effort and approach to helping the players quickly gained Snyder the respect and admiration of the locker room. Snyder’s ability to communicate with the players and pass along his expansive basketball knowledge will no doubt serve him well in his new capacity as head coach of the Jazz and the Hawks organization wishes him the best of luck in Utah.
Story by Robby Kalland