The Utah Jazz have announced that they have agreed to a contract extension of head coach Quin Snyder. The deal has been described as long-term, but no financial details have been officially released per team policy. Snyder has a career coaching record of 78-86.
Deseret News writer Jody Genessy reports that the deal will be through the end of the 2020-21 season.
I’m being told Jazz coach Quin Snyder’s contract has been extended through the 2020-21 season. Not sure financial terms.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) May 6, 2016
Team owner Gail Miller had this to say, via a team issued press release on Snyder’s extension, ” With this contract extension, we are declaring our confidence in coach Snyder’s ability to continue to develop the Utah Jazz into a championship team.”
Utah Jazz Extend Head Coach Quin Snyder
The Jazz made significant steps towards becoming a playoff team this season. The team improved from a record of 38-44 during the 2014-15 season to a record of 40-42 this year. Now that may only seem like a minor improvement, and it is really but for a young team like the Jazz any progress is good progress. The Jazz finished just under .500 and would have finished with an even record if Kobe Bryant didn’t end his career in such astonishing fashion.
Gail Miller also had this to say on coach Snyder, “The Miller family recognizes the significant progress made under his leadership and we are excited about the direction we are headed.”
Snyder has turned a struggling Jazz team into a defensive powerhouse, and with such talented players like small forward Gordon Hayward, power forward Derrick Favors and center Rudy Gobert it would be a good bet that the team will only get better. Snyder has fixed what was a mediocre Jazz team in a rut, into the team that puts opposition offenses in a jam. Since taking over two season ago, Snyder’s Jazz have held their opposition to under 90 points in 57 games. Clear and significant improvement year after year is what the Jazz hierarchy are looking for.
Snyder is only the eighth head coach in Utah Jazz franchise history and has the potential to become a Jazz coaching great.
Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey had this to say on the team’s progression under Snyder, ” We have continued to take significant steps as a team under Quin’s direction. His work ethic, basketball intelligence and ability to connect with and develop our players make him the ideal head coach of the Jazz.”
With the Jazz singing Snyder’s praises, this team finally looks stable again. Jazz fans dream of the day the team will look like it once did. John Stockton and Karl Malone used to carry this team to great heights. They never won a title, but nobody could question their quality. The Jazz are working very hard to get back to those great years. With a young nucleus and a quality head coach, they are realistically heading in the right direction.
