Quin Snyder surprisingly resigned as head coach of the Utah Jazz last June after eight seasons, citing that the “players need a new voice.” Snyder was recently back on the hardwood as a new voice aiding Basketball Africa League prospects and coaches.
The BAL organized a group in Paris on 15 and 16 January. There were 30 participants — including NBA star Dwyane Wade’s son Zaire — who took part in anthropometric and athletic testing, positional skill development, and 5-on-5 games in front of scouts, coaches, and executives from the 12 qualified teams for the 2023 BAL season. Snyder served as camp director for BAL Combine and also ran a coaching clinic.
“I am focused on this. I don’t want to reminisce or think [about the Jazz]. There’s plenty of time for that,” Snyder told Andscape in a telephone interview from Paris on Monday.
Snyder’s BAL connection is that he has been a “close friend” of BAL president and former NBA international scout Amadou Gallo Fall for over two decades.
Fall launched the Sports for Educational Economic Development Academy (SEED) in Theis, Senegal in 2002, the first basketball student-athlete academy in Africa. Up to 40 promising teenage boys and girls live, train and work to achieve their goal of going to college to earn a college basketball scholarship or a professional basketball contract. San Antonio Spurs center Gorgui Dieng attended SEED while G League Ignite forward Babacar Sane was discovered by SEED. Snyder says he worked with basketball players at SEED Academy in 2015 and coached at Basketball Without Borders in Johannesburg, Africa.
“The passion [Fall] has for growing the game in Africa and all the other things that come out of that, the mentorship, the leadership,” Snyder said. “You can feel the development of young men as players and as coaches. So we kept in touch over the years, and when he started working with the BAL, just knowing he did, I followed it and learned about it. The opportunity this year is unique to me, and I could participate. And he asked me to come over and do a clinic for the coaches that are here and participate in the camp. And it’s something that, especially when you’re around and you can feel the enthusiasm in all the people who are committed to growing the game on the continent, is something that’s really exciting for me personally.
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“You feel the momentum; you feel the players, the hunger they have to improve, the enthusiasm of everyone on the staff here working on the ground in Dakar and across the continent.
In the 2023 BAL season, the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries will once again play a total of 38 matches in Dakar, Senegal; Cairo, Egypt; and Kigali, Rwanda, for three months from March 11. The NBA has been showing interest in growing the game of basketball in Africa for years with Basketball Without Borders and the BAL, entering its third season.
Snyder believes the potential for basketball talent in Africa is “endless”.
“The [BAL] goal, as it has been shared with me, is to become one of the best leagues in the world over a 10-year period,” said Snyder. “Basketball Sans Frontières is a big, big first step in that, and then the academy, and now the BALL. And you feel the momentum; you feel the players, the hunger they have to improve, the enthusiasm of everyone on the staff here working on the ground in Dakar and across the continent. And then all the people around that I think would like to contribute in some way to that goal of growing the game. And the infrastructure that’s being created really enables that process, it speeds up that process.
Snyder added that the development of coaches in Africa is also important to the growth process of basketball players. He led a coaching clinic at the end of the combine operation.
“There are so many opportunities, especially for us as coaches, because you’re often further along in your professional career, to really learn from each other,” Snyder said. “And on a personal level, just to forge relationships. And then sometimes those things evolve into more professional sharing. And it’s also fun to be in a camp environment, which means everyone has the same goal: to do what they can to support at whatever level and capacity. So it’s nice on a personal level to have those interactions with coaches and be around basketball and know that basketball builds bridges.
The BAL prospect Snyder was most familiar with was Zaire Wade. Wade averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 assists in 13 games for the Jazz’s G League Salt Lake City Stars last season.
Snyder said he played “really well” during the first day of BAL camp. Snyder also said he enjoyed talking to Dwyane Wade, a Jazz minority owner who was at the house to support his son.
“One of the things I think is really unique about being here is that everyone has a different path,” says Snyder, a former Duke basketball player who also coached at the University of Missouri and with the G League Austin Toros. “My path is unique in some ways in terms of college and then the D-League, and then assistant, so I’ve moved five times in five years. And trying to get that message across to the players, that the adversity and the challenges you face are the things that help you get better and make you real, not just as a player but as a man. And Zaire, knowing him and seeing him play last year […] and then seeing how much effort he puts in here. I said to Dwayne, “It’s nice to see him grow as a player.”
Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images
Snyder resigned on June 5 after Jazz’s owner and management spent several weeks trying to convince him to return as coach and offer a contract extension, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Snyder still had two years left on his contract, including his own option on the final year, sources previously told Wojnarowski. Snyder also underwent hip surgery after last season.
Snyder had a 372–264 record in his eight seasons with the Jazz, the second most wins in franchise history. The Jazz has the longest active postseason streak in the Western Conference at six years, but failed to advance past the conference semifinals in those seasons. Along with Snyder’s departure, the Jazz NBA All-Stars traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Snyder declined to go into detail about his departure from the Jazz.
“It has been a good year for me personally to spend time with my family. And like I said before, I think it was time,” Snyder said.
Snyder acknowledged that “my hope” is to coach in the NBA again.
“First of all, find a situation, if there’s an opportunity, to have that opportunity to do that,” Snyder said. “It is what I love to do the most. And anything that you are passionate about and enjoy, you will miss it on some level. But there are other things in life that I am passionate about and it was great to have the opportunity to take a sabbatical.”
Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for Andscape. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to for years and his knees still hurt.
Did Quin Snyder step down?
Snyder “is ending his tenure as franchise head coach,” the team announced Sunday afternoon. To see also : The growth of cheerleading in Scottish schools. “I am incredibly grateful to have spent the past eight years with such a respected and historic organization and in the wonderful, friendly, supportive community of Salt Lake City,” Snyder said in a prepared statement.
Is Quin Snyder staying in Utah? Snyder’s contract status Snyder has one year left on his contract, placing him under contract for the 2022-2023 season. In addition, he has an option on his contract to continue the 2023-2024 season.
Did Quin Snyder Play Duke? After being named a McDonald’s All American as a high school player in Washington, he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. He was the Jazz’s head coach for eight seasons and was known as an offensive tactician.
Why did Quin Snyder leave MU? Snyder left the Jazz, saying the team “needs a new voice to keep evolving” in the statement announcing his resignation.
What is Pete Carroll’s salary?
Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): $15 million Carroll has reached the pinnacle of both college and pro football, but is doing arguably one of his best coaching jobs this season. To see also : Ralph J. Valerio 1939-2022 | News, Sports, Projects.
Who is the highest paid coach in sports? Here’s the full top 10 list.
- Bill Belichick, Patriots, $20 million.
- Pete Carroll, Seahawks, $15 million.
- Sean McVay, Rams, $14 million.
- Gregg Popovich, Spurs, $13 million.
- Mike Tomlin, Steelers, $12.5 million.
What is Bill Belichick’s Salary? It’s a king’s salary when it comes to being the best coach in NFL history. Sportico listed the top 10 highest paid coaches in the country, and Belichick towered above the rest with an estimated annual salary of $20 million a year.
