Utah Jazz Hires Quin Snyder as New Head Coach
The Utah Jazz finished last in the NBA Northwest Division and last in the Western Conference with a record of 25-57 losing 8 of their final 10 games of the regular season.
The Jazz ended the season 34 games behind the division leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Jazz announced on Friday Quin Snyder as their new head coach. Snyder was an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks last season.
 Snyder will be given a three-year control with an option for the team for a fourth season. Snyder is replacing Tyron Corbin.
The new Jazz head coach is close to Dennis Lindsey the general manager for Utah. The two were with the San Antonio Spurs together. Snyder will be a head coach in the NBA for the first time after being a head coach in the NCAA with Missouri.
Snyder said that for him it was an honor to join a franchise that is highly respected with a great future ahead of it. He added that he approached the opportunity with humility and gratitude and would be committed to doing all he can to help Utah once again become a team that can battle for the NBA title.
Sources in the NBA said Snyder was expected to attempt to lure Ettore Messina a legend in coaching in Europe to be his assistant.
Snyder worked for Messina at CSKA Moscow
a powerhouse in Europe as an assistant.
Snyder has also worked as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers. He also had a stint as head coach of a D-League San Antonio affiliate in Austin, Texas.
Adrian Griffin an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls and Alvin Gentry the lead assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers were two other finalists for the Utah coaching position.
Snyder becomes just the eighth Jazz head coach in history and only the fifth since 1979 when they relocated to Utah. Snyder was officially introduced to the Utah press on Saturday at a news conference.
Snyder focused on the NBA after a difficult tenure with the Missouri Tigers. His time with the Tigers included many quality wins but was tarnished by an investigation by the NCAA.
Mike Budenholzer the head coach for Atlanta said he and the entire Hawks organization was happy for Snyder and his family. The coach added that Snyder had played a big role on his coaching staff and would be missed.
Paul Millsap a forward who used to play with Utah and now is with Atlanta posted on twitter his support of Snyder saying Utah is getting a great person and coach.
Utah did not offer Corbin a new contract after his three seasons as the head coach. Corbin took over following Jerry Sloan’s resignation after playing three seasons for Sloan and serving as an assistant under Sloan.
The Jazz reached the postseason under Corbin in the 2011-2012 lockout-shortened season, but the team was swept in 4 games by San Antonio during the first round.
The team won 43 games in the 2012-2013 season, but lost 57 this past season after releasing a number of high priced veteran players.
