Quin going places in the pros

[JasonEvans]

A friend alerted me that Quin Snyder is interviewing (http://www.twincities.com/ci_18365920?source=most_viewed)for the TWolves head coaching gig. For folks who have not followed Quin's career very much, this may come as a total shock. "What?!?! I thought he slinked off into obscurity after leaving Missouri in shame!!??!" some may say.

Not quite.

Quin has quietly built up an excellent resume for a potential NBA head coach. He spent 3 years with the Austin Toros in the NBDL and did a fabulous job there. Despite a shifting roster, his team won like 2/3rds of their games each season and advanced nicely in the NBDL playoffs. He sent more players to the NBA from the D-league than any other coach in the NBDL and earned himself quite a reputation as a developer of young talent.

Last year, he was an assistant coach with the Philly 76ers and their Director of Player Development. You may recall that the Sixers had a 14-win improvement last season and their young players began to really come together as a team. They made the playoffs.

Quin is also being courted by Lakers head coach Mike Brown to be an assistant there, but the Twolves job may be his. It is worth noting that Minnesota GM David Khan was the guy who hired Quin for his very successful run with the NBDL Austin Toros so Khan knows how good a coach Quin is.

--Jason "with no pesky NCAA rules to worry about, Quin may really flourish in the NBA!" Evans

[Billy Dat]

Great post, Jason. There's a lot to take away from this:

The guy is or has:
-Tremendous drive, persistence and resilience
-A talented basketball mind
-A great love of the game
-An amazing life story from which to preach/teach all of the above

[roywhite]

Great post, Jason. There's a lot to take away from this:

The guy is or has:
-Tremendous drive, persistence and resilience
-A talented basketball mind
-A great love of the game
-An amazing life story from which to preach/teach all of the above

Just thinking out loud, but it would be fine with me if Quin continues to enjoy success in the NBA, including as a head coach, whether it be this opportunity or another, and then is back in consdieration for the Duke job after K.

Actually, I feel the same way about Tommy Amaker; although the circumstances are somewhat different, each has had setbacks after Duke but are well on the way to bouncing back and enjoying success. And each may be worthy of consideration for head coach at their alma mater.

Way to go, Quin.

[JasonEvans]

Just thinking out loud, but it would be fine with me if Quin continues to enjoy success in the NBA, including as a head coach, whether it be this opportunity or another, and then is back in consdieration for the Duke job after K.


Look, I like Quin a lot. Heck, we were classmates and dormmates at Duke and knew each other at least a little bit (acquaintances, not really friends). He was a hard-working student (Dean's List every semester at Duke despite being very busy with basketball) and then a very hard-working coach. I know that he was largely responsible for some major upgrades in technology in the Duke office during his time on the staff.

That said, I have heard that K was not pleased with some of the "short cuts" Quin took while coaching at Mizzu. He left that program in shambles and violated some pretty serious NCAA rules. Mizzu got 3-years probation and was banned from off campus recruiting for a year (think about how seriouys that is!!) in the wake of Quin's departure. At a minimum he provided improper benefits to Ricky Clemmons in the form of clothes... it is alleged that Clemmons was actually paid by members of the Mizzu coaching staff.

I think it will take a lot more for Quin to be a real candidate for the Duke job. He would probably have to go back to college ball and show himself to be completely rehabbed from his shady past. Right now, his NCAA history is not something with which Duke would want to be associated.

This post is not to slam Quin -- I am the guy who started this thread praising his NBA prospects -- only to point out the reality of his situation at Mizzu and why Duke may not be so keen to get him to Durham some day.

--Jason "of course, I might feel differently in 5 years if Quin is one of the best NBA coaches around ;) " Evans

[roywhite]

Look, I like Quin a lot. Heck, we were classmates and dormmates at Duke and knew each other at least a little bit (acquaintances, not really friends). He was a hard-working student (Dean's List every semester at Duke despite being very busy with basketball) and then a very hard-working coach. I know that he was largely responsible for some major upgrades in technology in the Duke office during his time on the staff.

That said, I have heard that K was not pleased with some of the "short cuts" Quin took while coaching at Mizzu. He left that program in shambles and violated some pretty serious NCAA rules. Mizzu got 3-years probation and was banned from off campus recruiting for a year (think about how seriouys that is!!) in the wake of Quin's departure. At a minimum he provided improper benefits to Ricky Clemmons in the form of clothes... it is alleged that Clemmons was actually paid by members of the Mizzu coaching staff.

I think it will take a lot more for Quin to be a real candidate for the Duke job. He would probably have to go back to college ball and show himself to be completely rehabbed from his shady past. Right now, his NCAA history is not something with which Duke would want to be associated.

This post is not to slam Quin -- I am the guy who started this thread praising his NBA prospects -- only to point out the reality of his situation at Mizzu and why Duke may not be so keen to get him to Durham some day.

--Jason "of course, I might feel differently in 5 years if Quin is one of the best NBA coaches around ;) " Evans


You make good points, and are probably right about just how unlikely it would be to see Quin as head coach at Duke.

Don't want to derail this thread, but I have a strong preference that K's eventual successor be someone with other head coaching experience and life experiences that might even include a setback or two.

At any rate, I'm really pleased to hear about Quin's success. Thanks very much for bringing that news here.

[OldPhiKap]

Thanks for the update on Quin, and I hope he gets a chance to show what he has in the NBA. I did not realize that he had that kind of run in the D-League. Good for him.

I, too, have concerns about what happened at Missou although do not pretend to know the details. I do think that's a caution flag when it comes to any chance of returning to a college job though.

Go get 'em, Quin!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Good luck to Quin, I bet he'd be great. He was very successful with the Toros, and obviously has the respect of other coaches in the league.

[CameronBornAndBred]

This post is not to slam Quin -- I am the guy who started this thread praising his NBA prospects -- only to point out the reality of his situation at Mizzu and why Duke may not be so keen to get him to Durham some day.

Nice answers there, but I think we don't have to wonder too much anyways. I've read in interviews with Quin that he is very happy in the pros and really doesn't have an interest in returning to college ball. It was always fun to read his words when he was with Austin. Many people, coaches and players alike, feel they are above that position; Quin always seemed to embrace it. He would make an extra effort to stress that he could not ask to be in a better position than he was there. There were aspects of the college game that he did not enjoy, such as recruiting, that he was unburdened with in the NBDL. What he loves most is teaching, he'd say..and as a coach in the pros that's all he had to concern himself with.

[airowe]

I know that he was largely responsible for some major upgrades in technology in the Duke office during his time on the staff.

Yep, he started DukeBluePlanet.com...

[Duke of Nashville]

Per Twitter

ScottSchroeder-"Just talked to Quin Snyder. The report he interviewed with the Timberwolves is false. He's taking a position with the Lakers."

Take it for what it is worth. Thought I would just pass it along.

[JasonEvans]

Per Twitter

ScottSchroeder-"Just talked to Quin Snyder. The report he interviewed with the Timberwolves is false. He's taking a position with the Lakers."

Take it for what it is worth. Thought I would just pass it along.

Well, if he is going from the Sixers to the Lakers, that is still "going places" ;)

-Jason "the Lakers is a very high profile job -- would be a good move for Q" Evans

[hq2]

Always glad to hear that things are going better for my namesake. (Howard Quin -hq2). Never forget those two clutch 3 pointers he hit against Carolina to bring Duke back from 10 down and beat Carolina in the Dean Dome in 1989, a game I saw in person. A sweet memory indeed!

[NovaScotian]

Well, if he is going from the Sixers to the Lakers, that is still "going places" ;)

-Jason "the Lakers is a very high profile job -- would be a good move for Q" Evans

while i agree that this is much better for his visibility, i'm not sure what is better about working for mike brown (who is a good coach, don't get me wrong) than working for dougie collins, who is totes dope. maybe quin is coming in as the 'offensive coordinator' the lakers are looking for? is he even an offensive minded coach?

[-bdbd]

Wasn't Quinn a NBA assistant for the LA Clippers early in his coaching career? So a return to LA maybe has some logic. I'm thinking he was there maybe in the late-90's under Larry Brown, back when he married Larry's daughter. But they later divorced. Or am I totally mis-remembering things?

:confused:

[JasonEvans]

while i agree that this is much better for his visibility, i'm not sure what is better about working for mike brown (who is a good coach, don't get me wrong) than working for dougie collins, who is totes dope. maybe quin is coming in as the 'offensive coordinator' the lakers are looking for? is he even an offensive minded coach?

The Lakers, for the near future, seem to be a more prominent and successful franchise. As a result, teams are going to be more inclined to be interested in Laker assistants (guys who are likely to have experience deep in the playoffs) than they are in Sixer assistants. Plus, from a PR standpoint, it looks good for a team to hire an assistant from the Lakers or Celtics -- the two most storied programs in pro hoops.

-Jason "Quin ain't been hired by anybody yet..." Evans

[BD80]

The Lakers, for the near future, seem to be a more prominent and successful franchise. As a result, teams are going to be more inclined to be interested in Laker assistants (guys who are likely to have experience deep in the playoffs) than they are in Sixer assistants. Plus, from a PR standpoint, it looks good for a team to hire an assistant from the Lakers or Celtics -- the two most storied programs in pro hoops.

-Jason "Quin ain't been hired by anybody yet..." Evans

When you have 4 guys chewing up the entire salary cap plus some, there is a greater need to manufacture some production from the rest of the roster via "player development." Sure, he did a nice job with the young guys in Philly, but Quin's efforts will really get noticed in LA.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Wasn't Quinn a NBA assistant for the LA Clippers early in his coaching career? So a return to LA maybe has some logic. I'm thinking he was there maybe in the late-90's under Larry Brown, back when he married Larry's daughter. But they later divorced. Or am I totally mis-remembering things?

:confused:
Nice memory! Wikipedia says you are right..and also shows what an amazing work ethic Quin has.


He graduated from Duke in 1989 with a double major in philosophy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy) and political science (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_science), and, later received a JD (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor) from Duke Law School (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Law_School) in 1995 and an MBA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBA) from Duke's Fuqua School of Business (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuqua_School_of_Business) in 1995. In the middle of his graduate work, Snyder spent one year as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quin_Snyder

[DevilWearsPrada]

Nice memory! Wikipedia says you are right..and also shows what an amazing work ethic Quin has.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quin_Snyder

Congrats to Quin on the new position in the NBA. Quin has an impressive resume with his education and work experience and ethic.

Always great to see the Former Duke players, achieving success in the coaching world. :D