I know that earlier in the week I made the generalization that NBA head coaches and robots who drive for Uber are pretty much one and the same. Of course, that’s a little absurd in that there are a few NBA coaches who can actually coach their ass off besides Greg Popovich and Rick Carlisle.
Quin Snyder is probably a coach who falls into that category. I’m very familiar with Snyder in that he both played for and coached under Coach K at Duke. You can’t get a much better pedigree than that although some of the dullards in Oklahoma might say — “What about Jeff Capel?”
But you study Quin Snyder a little deeper because he’s an interesting guy and not your normal coach. He’s actually a coach who I find interesting because of his diverse background.
Snyder has both an MBA and a law degree from Duke. Not your typical jock turned coach. Know who graduated from Duke who was a major impact on the NBA being in OKC? That would be another interesting guy named Aubrey McClendon.
Snyder has made multiple stops at both the college, the pro, and the Euro side of basketball. Again, an interesting guy.
He coached as the assistant head coach for Coach K then not long after found himself as the head coach who succeeded Stormin Norm Stewart at Missouri. Snyder lasted six years at Missouri before he was fired because of NCAA allegations of improper recruitment of a player.
Sounds a little bit like Jeff Capel doesn’t it?
Here’s the difference. Quin Snyder didn’t go back to Duke to sit next to Coach K as an assistant.
Nope. Instead, Quin Synder became humbled by his experience and exit from Missouri and embarked on a tour of coaching stops which made him understand why he failed at Missouri.
He coached in Russia. He coached in the D League. He took on several assistant jobs. He worked his ass off and made himself a better coach.
If ever a coach in the NBA earned his job it’s Quin Snyder.
And of course, he’s now head coach of the Utah Jazz and the most likely coach to win this year’s NBA Coach of the Year Award.
As a human and not an Uber driving robot, I love the fact Quin Snyder pulled himself up off the canvass after the Missouri experience and found himself as a coach.
Now…if say Coach K ever quits at Duke who would I hire?
I’m thinking Quin Snyder and not Jeff Capel would be my basketball coach… and I actually met and very much liked Jeff Capel.
I wish more NBA coaches were as interesting as Quin Snyder.