Quin Snyder is a private person and doesn’t share many details about his life away from the court. Utah Jazz players see a different side of their coach.
The Utah Jazz made two big offseason moves: re-signing Jordan Clarkson and bringing back Derrick Favors. Both players could have made more money playing elsewhere, could have signed-short term contracts and they had options. There are a lot of reasons that Clarkson and Favors decided to stick with the Jazz on long-term deals, but one of the biggest reasons is the team’s head coach. Heading into his seventh year at the helm of the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder is still a mystery to a lot of fans. He’s a pretty private person and doesn’t share many intimate details about his life away from the court with those on the outside. But his players see a different side of him. Vulnerability and openness are at the heart of how Snyder operates as a coach. It can be hard to imagine that’s the case if you’re only used to seeing his to-the-point post-game comments, or him fume on the sidelines, or aggressively apply lip balm. It can be hard to imagine that’s the case even when you interview him regularly, but the Jazz players know it to be true. “Sometimes you’re not even talking about basketball, we’re just talking about life, we’re talking about experiences that we’ve had,” Clarkson said. “Having that with a coach and him being that open with us, it’s very rare… it goes a long way, especially with the players.” Communication is what Snyder points to as the most crucial piece in being able to gain the trust of his players. It’s not about just how or what you communicate, but the willingness to be right and wrong and communicate through good times and bad. Building trust through communication and then experiencing the joys and sorrows of basketball is what Snyder calls a “special part of the job” and is a reminder of why he loves being a coach. “I’m just a believer in his coaching style,” Favors said. “The leadership he shows as a coach. He’s a player’s coach. He communicates with you. I just love him. That was one of the main reasons why I decided to come back was because of him.
