Utah Jazz Hire Will Hardy as Head Coach.

The Utah Jazz has sought the services of Will Hardy to serve as the team’s head coach, according to the team’s statement on Wednesday.

The former assistant will become an NBA head coach for the first time in his career.

He replaces Quin Snyder, who left the team at the beginning of June after serving the franchise as head coach for eight seasons.

The Athletic and ESPN reported the initial report on the agreement between Jazz and Hardy.

The coach was selected as the most suitable candidate during the weekend.

The team had interviewed many strong candidates, and there was no confirmation by thursday.

He Is Popovich’s Student

Hardy worked for one season as a Boston Celtics coaching staff member after Ime Udoka hired him due to their previous time together in San Antonio.

Under Gregg Popovich, he also served as an assistant in Spurs , working in the position for six seasons.

Hardy spent 11 seasons working with the San Antonio Spurs. 

He began as a basketball operations intern before working in the video room and eventually growing into an assistant under Gregg Popovich. 

Hardy also worked with Popovich when the national team participated in the 2019 World Cup and the Tokyo Olympics the following year. 

The soon-to-be head coach left the Spurs for the Boston Celtics to work for Udoka, a former Spurs assistant.

Hardy was influential in the national team that contained the likes of Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown.

Smart stated he and other team members and coaching staff were happy for him.

He admitted that Will was always working hard, which is why he deserved to be where he is.

His devotion and investment in his skills and improvement, according to Smart, would be instrumental in him performing well.

Given Popovich’s students’ success since Udoka took the Celtics to the finals in his first season, it was easy to see why Jazz chose Hardy to lead the team.

When one looks at the current NBA coaches who have engaged with Popovich in different capacities in the same team, it is clear that everyone who learns from him develops a winning mentality. 

Names like Steve Kerr, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams, Idoka, Taylor Jenkins, and Mike Brown are some renowned coaching names to have worked with Popovich. 

Hardy Is One Of The Youngest Coaches In The League

When Hardy appeared at the Rising Coaches seminar in 2021, he stated, 

“It’s always just been about being selfless.

Coach Pop says all the time: ‘Get over yourself. It ain’t about you.'”

Utah Jazz was the only team in the NBA that did not have a coach and was the fourth to hire one since the end of the regular season.

Los Angeles Lakers chose Darvin Ham, Sacramento sort Brown’s services,  and Charlotte recalled Steve Clifford for a second run.

Jazz is trusting the team with a 34-year-old coach who is younger than some of the players.

One of the noticeable things about Hardy is his age.

Hardy and Skeeter were the youngest of all the candidates the team considered.

This shows that the team seeks to bring in a person that will grow with the team. 

The coach also takes over a roster that has the potential to win.

The team is one of the three teams to go into the playoff in the last six seasons, and the team won 49 games.

Snyder accomplished 372-264 with the team, but he felt he needed a change, and the franchise started finding his replacement.

The franchise talked with various assistants in the NBA before choosing Hardy, who will be the team’s fourth coach in more than three decades after Jerry Sloan, Tyrone Corbin, and Snyder.