Report: Jazz hiring C’s assistant Will Hardy as head coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It didn’t take long for one of Ime Udoka’s assistants to land a head coaching job of their own.
Will Hardy, who joined the Boston Celtics’ coaching staff last summer, is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the Utah Jazz, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
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Charania adds that C’s president-turned-Jazz CEO Danny Ainge underwent an “extensive” coaching search that included former head coaches, top assistants, G League coaches and former players, Hardy stood out above the rest.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports it will be a five-year contract:
Once the hiring is official, Hardy will become the youngest active NBA head coach at 34 years old. Despite his age, he has plenty of experience as he learned under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich for several years on the San Antonio Spurs. The Williams College product was the Spurs’ video coordinator from 2013-15 and spent four seasons as an assistant on Popovich’s staff. He served on Team USA’s coaching staff alongside Udoka at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Hardy will replace Quin Snyder, who went 372-264 during his tenure as Jazz head coach and made six consecutive postseason appearances.
Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is the first African to lead a team to the NBA Finals, something he says is a source of pride. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, but he played for the Nigerian national basketball team and has brought the Celtics back to the finals for the first time in 12 years.
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