Utah Jazz Coach Quin Snyder Steps Down, Says Team Needs ‘New Voice’

The Utah Jazz have the latest head coaching vacancy to open up as head coach Quin Snyder announced Sunday that he stepping down from his role with the team. Snyder told the media that he “strongly feels they need a new voice to continue to evolve, that’s it. No philosophical differences, no other reason. After eight years, I just feel it is time to move onward,” Snyder said.

He told reporters that he had waited until the season was over and took time to make sure this was the right decision.

Snyder had been in the NBA coaching ranks for the last three decades. After playing college basketball for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils, he took an assistant coaching job with the Los Angeles Clipper in 1992. His first head coaching role came in 1999 when he took the head coaching position with the University of Missouri Men’s basketball team. Snyder had a record of 126-91 in his seven seasons with the team, with four NCAA Tournament appearances.

He joined the Utah Jazz as a head coach in 2014. With the Jazz, Snyder went 372-264 and won the Northwest Division three times. It was under his tenure that the Jazz saw the most regular-season success they’ve had in almost two decades, having the best recording in the NBA in the 2020-21 NBA Season.

Jazz owner Ryan Smith expressed his support for Snyder’s decision telling the media, “Quin Snyder has embodied what Jazz basketball is for the last eight years. The tireless work ethic and attention to detail Quin displayed each day is a testament to the professional he is. I have nothing but admiration for Quin and respect his decision. On behalf of Ashley and I, along with our ownership group and our entire organization, we thank Quin and Amy from the bottom of our hearts for all of their contributions to the state of Utah and the Jazz and wish them nothing but the best.”

Snyder’s resignation comes after the Jazz’s 4-2 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. This loss is just an example of the continued failure to make it past the second round of the playoffs with this past series being the sixth straight season that they have been eliminated in the second round or earlier. Snyder and the Jazz front office have been criticized for their lack of playoff success and their weaknesses with the construction of the roster and schemes, most specifically as they relate to franchises cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. According to reports, Mitchell is unsettled and unnerved following the news of Snyder’s resignation and is unsure about his future with the team.

As of now, there are no reports on potential hirings for the head coaching vacancy.