SALT LAKE CITY – With the Utah Jazz undergoing a coaching search for the first time in eight seasons, KSL Sports is taking a deeper dive into each candidate that has been interviewed for the job.

So far the list includes multiple former NBA head coaches, assistants with ties to the Jazz already, and several other prominent names around the NBA.

Though the Jazz have not officially narrowed their list, Boston Celtics assistant Will Hardy appears to be gaining momentum in the search.

Jazz Coaching Candidate: Will Hardy

Will Hardy was one of the first and most obvious names mentioned in the Jazz coaching search due to his long history as an assistant coach with successful franchises.

Both ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Hardy would be a candidate as one of the hottest names on the assistant coaching market.

ESPN Sources: The Jazz received permission to interview several assistant coaches for head job, including Johnnie Bryant (Knicks), Will Hardy (Celtics), Charles Lee (Bucks), and Joe Mazzulla (Celtics). Jazz assistant Alex Jensen and Terry Stotts will interview too.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 7, 2022

And, due to recent rumors that the Jazz would prefer to hire a first-time head coach, rather than a retread in either Terry Stotts or Frank Vogel, Hardy has become one of the leading candidates for the job.

Hardy, 34, began his coaching career with the San Antonio Spurs as a video assistant under the tutelage of soon-to-be Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown.

After several seasons in the Spurs video room, Hardy was promoted to Gregg Popovich’s bench as Brown, Mike Budenholzer, Ettore Messina, James Borrego, Jacque Vaughn, and Ime Udoka earned head coaching jobs elsewhere, a testament to the regard in which San Antonio assists hare held.

A new @utahjazz era is set to begin.

Meet the candidates that are likely to replace Quin Snyder going forward. #TakeNote https://t.co/RezY0sKb43

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 6, 2022

Hardy also served as the Spurs Summer League coach between 2015-18 and worked for Team USA during the 2019 FIBA games before following Udoka to Boston where he helped lead the Celtics to the NBA Finals in their first season together.

In 2020, Hardy was on the coaching staff for the Team USA men’s basketball roster that won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

According to The Athletic, Hardy has previously interviewed with the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Oklahoma City Thunder for their recent head coaching openings.

Prior To Coaching

Hardy was a standout forward at Williams College where he led the Ephs to a 30-2 record as a senior before his team fell in the 2021 Division-III national championship game to Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Curt Tong, a former coach at Williams College had been the athletic director at Pomona-Pitzer in California when Popovich was the school’s head coach. When Popovich needed a new video intern, he reached out to Tong who recommended Hardy for the open position.

Hardy attended high school at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia.

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