Due to his wife, The coach of the Utah Jazz has officially announced his retirement
Will Hardy had the uneasy feeling that everyone in the Zions Bank Basketball Campus practice facility had halted what they were doing to stare at him on his first official day as a Utah Jazz employee.
He was taken aback by the attention for a brief moment. Abruptly, it dawned on him.
Following the conclusion of his inaugural press conference on Tuesday morning at Vivint Arena’s Legends Club, he was asked if everything had finally clicked.
It’s beginning to register. It still seems incredibly strange. He acknowledged that it was a great relief that the press conference was over. “Reliability has increased compared to yesterday.”
Hardy spent the previous 11 years with the San Antonio Spurs organization and served as the lead assistant for the Eastern Conference-winning Boston Celtics during the previous season.
(The Salt Lake Tribune, Rick Egan) On Tuesday, July 5, 2022, at Vivint Arena, Will Hardy, left, and Danny Ainge, CEO of basketball operations, take questions from the press following Hardy’s announcement as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz.
Will Hardy, left, and Danny Ainge, CEO of basketball operations, field questions during a press conference at Vivint Arena on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, to announce Hardy’s appointment as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune).
While the Jazz CEO, Danny Ainge, acknowledged that the organization searched widely for Quin Snyder’s replacement, he also mentioned that it was clear early on in the process that Hardy had emerged as the front-runner.
When he conducted research on each candidate, he found that while many were characterized as nice guys or knowledgeable, Hardy consistently came up as “special,” which is not the case with many people.
When asked what in particular stood out, Ainge said, “Will’s presence, his confidence, his knowledge, his basketball acumen… he’s a great relationship-builder.” We put him through some exercises, such as player development plans and basketball scouting reports, and he seemed extremely qualified. In addition, he spoke my language when he answered the questions.
According to Ainge, he, general manager Justin Zanik, and other members of the team’s search committee presented their recommendation to Ryan Smith, the owner, and Dwyane Wade, a co-owner, but they were ready to start over if they didn’t get their way.
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As it happens, that wasn’t required.
“Everyone agreed because, upon examining Will, it was evident what he stands for—how he has seized every chance that has come his way and created opportunities that most likely never existed,” Smith said. “Will Hardy’s trajectory is as far as he wants to take it.”
(The Salt Lake Tribune, Rick Egan) At a press conference announcing Will Hardy as the new Utah Jazz head coach at Vivint Arena on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith listens as Hardy responds to questions.
(The Salt Lake Tribune, Rick Egan) At a press conference announcing Will Hardy as the new Utah Jazz head coach at Vivint Arena on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith listens as Hardy responds to questions.
The work now starts.
After losing players like Rudy Gobert and Royce O’Neale in trades, the Jazz are a team in transition. This was evident in the team’s appearance at his inaugural news conference.
When asked if he would have a say in the final composition of the roster, Hardy responded that Ainge and Zanik had been very open in telling him that “there are multiple paths that this team can take.” He praised each person’s track record and history of team building and said he will defer to their expertise, trusting whatever course of action they choose. However, he acknowledged that the front office decision-makers had established a “collaborative” process.
He intends to be flexible when it comes to what kind of team would suit him the best, stating that it makes more sense for him to be able to modify a system to fit a roster rather than insisting on a roster that follows a set plan.
According to Hardy, “a lot of it will be customizing it to the players, especially on the offensive end.” There are always things you want to believe in when defending someone. However, if I wasn’t making an effort to adjust what we do to our roster, I wouldn’t be doing my job.
Nevertheless, he does have some ideas about how he wants the Jazz to develop; he lists “toughness, sacrifice, and passion” as the team’s three guiding principles. In an effort to create habits, he also intends to implement more frequent practices. However, he clarified that the term “practice” will need to be reframed because it need not always conjure up images of tedious, hour-and-a-half sessions; it could just as easily refer to focused, 30-minute sessions.
He stated that getting to know everyone in the organization will be his first priority and expressed the hope that people would get to know him more personally than as a coach.
