Quin Snyder Returns From College Basketball Scandal To Land Utah Jazz Coaching Gig

Quin Snyder knows quite a bit about redemption.

After leaving college basketball amid a scandal and making his way to the NBA Developmental League, Snyder now has his chance at the big time as he signed on as coach of the Utah Jazz.

It marks quite a return for the 47-year-old coach.

In 2002, he led the Missouri Tigers on a surprise run to the Elite Eight, one season after he had been named Rookie Coach of the Year by the Basketball Times. But not long afterward, reports surfaced that Snyder had trouble managing the program, and an NCAA investigation revealed a handful of violations, mostly minor.

Quin Snyder chose to resign, but reports later emerged that athletic director Mike Alden had actually sent Tiger Radio Network color analyst Gary Link to tell Snyder he wouldn’t be coming back the next year.

Snyder moved to the D League, which led to a series of assistant coaching jobs in the NBA. In early June, he was tapped as head coach of the Jazz, signing a three-year deal.

In an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, Snyder said the winding path he took to become an NBA head coach was actually a benefit.

“All I know is there are challenges you have throughout your life,’ he said. “I had a few of them were things that made me consider where I was, what I was doing, did I want to keep coaching. And it helped me. There’s no question that I’m a better coach today than I would be if I hadn’t gone through various steps in a coaching career.”

Coaching in the D League was particularly helpful, Snyder added, in that it taught him to change his coaching strategies as the situation dictated.

“Every team is different. Really, every lineup is different,” he said. “The challenge for us this year is to try to utilize our players the best we can. That’s something about the D-League that was really valuable. You’d have a team and you figure you’re playing a certain way. The next day, two of your guys would be gone and you’d have to figure out how to make those adjustments.”

Utah Jazz fans likely hope Quin Snyder will be able to work some of that magic with his new team. The Jazz finished 25-57 this season, last in the Western Conference.