Tag: Will Hardy

Jazz’s Will Hardy has high praise for Gregg Popovich after Spurs win

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy showed love to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich after the Spurs’ win in Utah.

The San Antonio Spurs traveled west on Wednesday night to take on the Utah Jazz in their first road game after an eight-game home stand at the Frost Bank Center (that also included some time in Austin). They walked out of the Delta Center with a 118-111 win over the Jazz, marking their second victory in a row after they picked up a win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night without Victor Wembanyama.

The game was particularly fun, considering it was against former Spurs assistant Will Hardy, who is in his second season as the head coach of the Jazz.

After the game, Hardy had some very high praise for Gregg Popovich. (H/t Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News)

“Pop is an animal,” Hardy said. “There are few people on this planet I would never doubt. He is one of them.”

Hardy spent six seasons in San Antonio coaching under Popovich.

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Utah’s Will Hardy sees incredible coaching by Ime Udoka in Houston

Utah’s Will Hardy on the coaching of Ime Udoka in Houston: “I think what he’s been able to do with this group, this season, is pretty remarkable.”

Will Hardy, head coach of the Utah Jazz, has inside knowledge of his Houston counterpart, Ime Udoka. Hardy was a prominent assistant to Udoka when the latter was head coach in Boston, and both were assistants to Gregg Popovich for years in San Antonio.

Under Udoka’s leadership, Houston exited Saturday (after a win over the visiting Jazz) as arguably the NBA’s hottest team. The Rockets (35-35) have won eight straight games and have a 10-1 record in March, best of any team in the league. That’s put them back in the postseason race in the Western Conference.

Prior to that game at Toyota Center, Hardy spoke to Rockets Wire regarding Udoka’s performance during his first season in Houston.

Hardy’s comments:

I think Ime has done an incredible job. You can see, by the way that their team plays, that they are mirroring his personality. They’re a tough-minded, defensive team. I think what he’s been able to do with this group, this season, is pretty remarkable.

It’s been fun to watch from afar, because I love Ime. But they’re no fun to play against, because they’re very physical, and the switching is tough to score against. And they have some talented offensive players.

I think what Ime has done in Year 1 here is pretty special.

The complete video can be viewed below.

The Rockets entered this season coming off three consecutive years at the basement of the West standings, though all three of those teams were coached by Udoka’s predecessor, Stephen Silas.

Now, under Udoka, the Rockets rank in the NBA’s 10 best defenses of the 2023-24 season after being near the bottom in recent years.

The offseason additions of key veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks certainly helped, but so, too, has Udoka’s guidance.

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Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on Joe Mazzulla, Will Hardy’s early coaching success

Spoelstra shared his thoughts on two of the youngest head coaches in the league, Utah Jazz head coach (and former Boston Celtics assistant) Will Hardy and Boston interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is among the longest-tenured coaches in the NBA and has learned much about the profession over the nearly 15 years he has been the Heat’s head honcho on the court.

Speaking with the Celtics Wire ahead of the 2022 NBA Mexico City game, Spoelstra shared his thoughts on two of the youngest head coaches in the league, Utah Jazz head coach (and former Boston Celtics assistant) Will Hardy and Boston interim head coach Joe Mazzulla.

“I think they are tremendous,” related the Miami head coach. “The coaching professionalism is in a great place in terms of innovation, creativity, coaching staffs that are willing to buck the trends and try different things.”

“I think that’s making all of us better,” Spoelstra added. “I’ve known Will for a while, but I really got to know him through USA Basketball. I was so impressed with him, and the way he could command the room. He has great emotional intelligence.

“The same thing with Joe,” he continued. “Joe is young, but he has an older spirit, and the way he views coaching and leadership, all of those things are impressive for somebody at that age.

“I know I certainly wasn’t ready for all of that when I was 33,” Spoelstra concluded. Given that at that age, the Miami coach was still a Heat assistant with nearly a half-decade ahead of him before he’d take of the reins as head coach, that’s high praise indeed.

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Newly minted Jazz coach Will Hardy …

Newly minted Jazz coach Will Hardy stopped by to meet Clarkson in person and have a brief get-to-know-you session on Saturday while Clarkson was in town, and Hardy made a solid impression with the former Sixth Man of the Year. “I’m not that good at texting or calling people, so it was really cool to just kick it with him today and shoot the (expletive),” Clarkson said. “He’s tight. I like him a lot.”

What Clarkson knows for sure is that he …

What Clarkson knows for sure is that he is currently on the Jazz roster, he still has many years of basketball ahead of him, and he’s ready for whatever life throws at him. “Am I happy in Utah? Yes. Do I like my teammates? Yes. I met the new coach and love him,” Clarkson said. “This is all part of what it is. But my preparation never changes and I’m going to wake up every morning and be me and do what I do. Everything is good.”

Tony Jones: Jones: I think the front of …

Tony Jones: Jones: I think the front of the bench is taken care of with Alex Jensen, Lamar Skeeter and Bryan Bailey. My sources told me earlier in the week that they just hired Sean Sheldon from San Antonio, who was a video coordinator with Will Hardy in San Antonio. I expect a lot of energy from Hardy. Everybody I’ve talked to really thinks he’s got a chance to be a terrific head coach. He’s been well respected and well-liked around the league.

Celtics alumnus Jason Terry to reportedly join Will Hardy’s Utah Jazz coaching staff as an assistant

The JET will be flying over Salt Lake City next season.

Boston Celtics alumnus and coach of the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold head coach Jason Terry will reportedly join the staff of new Utah Jazz head coach (and fellow Boston alumnus) Will Hardy as an assistant according to reporting from The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Terry will also be united with Jazz CEO of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge, who led the Celtics in the same capacity during Terry’s tenure as a player in Boston before leaving the Celtics at the end of the 2020-21 season.

The former Celtics shooting guard has since gone into a successful coaching career most recently capped off by his leadership with the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate in Grand City but also included a stint at his alma mater Arizona.

Before that, the Seattle native served in a front office role at the G League level, having been the assistant general manager of the Texas Legends, the developmental affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.

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Jazz finalizing deal to hire Jason Terry as assistant coach on Will Hardy’s staff

Shams Charania: The Utah Jazz are finalizing hiring NBA G League Grand Rapids head coach Jason Terry as an assistant coach on Will Hardy’s staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Source: Twitter @ShamsCharania What’s the buzz on Twitter? The …

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

The Vertical @YahooSportsNBA
Jason Terry is finalizing an agreement with the Utah Jazz to join HC Will Hardy’s staff as an assistant coach, per @Shams Charania. pic.twitter.com/2fnskgOklM – 4:59 PM

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
The Utah Jazz are finalizing hiring NBA G League Grand Rapids head coach Jason Terry as an assistant coach on Will Hardy’s staff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. – 4:54 PM

More on this storyline

Tony Jones: The Utah Jazz interviewed Jason Terry today for their vacant head coaching job, League Sources tell The Athletic. Internal candidates Alex Jensen and Lamar Skeeter interviewed for the position this week. The Jazz are continuing with their first round of interviews -via Twitter @Tjonesonthenba / June 11, 2022
The Utah Jazz have received permission to interview NBA G League Grand Rapids Gold coach Jason Terry for the franchise’s head coaching job, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium . Terry is also under consideration for assistant positions with other NBA teams. -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / June 10, 2022

Knicks assistant coach Johnny Bryant, …