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The Utah Jazz have tabbed Atlanta Hawks assistant Quin Snyder as the team's next head coach.
The deal is for three years with a team-option for the fourth season, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Snyder is expected to be introduced at a Saturday press confernce, but already players have come out in support of the hire.
"The opportunity to join the Utah Jazz and to be part of such a highly respected franchise with an incredibly bright future is a great honor," Snyder said in a statement. "I approach this opportunity with gratitude and humility and am committed to doing everything I can to help the Jazz become a championship-caliber team."
According to sources, the Jazz are expected to keep Brad Jones, an assistant under Tyrone Corbin, on staff and promote player development coach Alex Jensen to the bench.
Snyder, a former Duke point guard with a law degree, was a rising star in the basketball world when, at age 32, he was hired as the head coach at the University of Missouri in 1999. Snyder went 128-96 during seven seasons at Missouri. But after recruiting violations and eventually losses hit, Snyder resigned his post.
Since then, he's been on a path toward redemption, and a new head coaching job.
"I remember playing against him in college when he was at Missouri. He had a really good up and down system and I can't wait to get to work with him," Jazz point guard John Lucas III said. "He has a really good reputation around the league. He did have that trouble in Missouri, but he kind of remade his career and reputation."
Snyder spent three seasons in the D-League, coaching the Spurs' affiliate in Austin. There, he learned the Spurs system and would have crossed paths with Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey.
"He has an impressive basketball pedigree, including more than a decade of head coaching experience that positions him well to succeed in the Jazz organization," said Jazz CEO Greg Miller said in a statement. "We look forward to Quin's contributions both on the court and in the community."
Snyder also spent time as an assistant coach in Philadelphia, in Los Angeles, at CSKA Moscow in Russia.
"Quin Snyder combines a unique skillset with several intangibles that makes him the right fit for our team and approach to basketball," Lindsey said in statement. "He is passionate about the game and has a 20-year track record of teaching and developing young talent. His personality, work ethic and communications skills are important traits that will benefit the Utah Jazz. We have taken a significant and exciting step forward in the evolution of this franchise."
Along the way, Snyder has been mentored by top basketball minds.
His first NBA coaching job was as an assistant under Larry Brown. He played under and coached alongside Mike Krzyzewski at Duke.
In Philadelphia, he helped Doug Collins with a rebuild that saw the 76ers go from 27 wins to 41 and a playoff appearance the next season
"I'm looking forward to working with him and looking forward to being a great team this year. I think everybody's relieved now that we know who the coach is," Jazz big man Derrick Favors told The Tribune on Friday.
The Jazz have been searching for a replacement for Tyrone Corbin since announcing at season's end that Corbin and his staff would not be retained.
Last season, his first and only in Atlanta, Snyder was the lead assistant and earned praise from former Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll for his individual attention to his players.
"I have to give a shout out to coach Quin [Snyder] this is the first year a coach really worked with me on my footwork, my shot, spent time with me. That's a credit to coach Quin. That shows me that he cares about me as a person, cares about me career," Carroll told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to sources, Jones, Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, and Clippers assistant Alving Gentry were also on the team's short list of finalists.
Quin Snyder file
• Was hired as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in June 2013.
• Was a point guard for Duke from 1985 to 1989, leading the Blue Devils to Final Four appearances in 1986, 1988 and 1989.
• Was the head coach for the University of Missouri from 1999 to 2006, leading Mizzou to four NCAA Tournament berths.
• Served various roles with the Austin Toros, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Russian team CSKA Moscow before joining the Hawks.
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