The Jazz have requested permission to meet with Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney to discuss their open head coaching job, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski’s report doesn’t indicate that Utah’s request has been granted, but there’s no reason to believe it won’t be. Sweeney also interviewed this spring for the Hornets’ head coaching position, as our tracker shows.
A veteran assistant known for his defensive acumen, Sweeney was named an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s staff in Brooklyn in 2013. He followed Kidd to Milwaukee, then served as an assistant coach in Detroit for multiple seasons before reuniting with Kidd when he was hired by the Mavs in 2021.
The Jazz are casting a wide net as they seek a replacement for Quin Snyder, who coached the team for the last eight seasons and stepped down from the role on Sunday. With Sweeney now in the mix, the list of coaches expected to interview with Utah is up to a dozen.
Terry Stotts, Frank Vogel, Johnnie Bryant, Will Hardy, and Adrian Griffin are some of the notable candidates the Jazz are reportedly considering. The full list can be found here.
Sean was incredible for the mavs this year. Thank goodness the jazz are interviewing a dozen candidates, I don’t want to lose Sweeney
Boylen gritted his teeth and adjusted his LinkedIN profile, after looking up more synonyms for ‘toughness’. He felt good that at least he wasn’t Mark Jackson, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. He then realized that thought was not very tough, and banished it from his mind.
MEANWHILE
NBA Fans in Utah REQUEST a change in team name to
SOMETHING, ANYTHING that isn’t “JAZZ” !!
I think it’s really the fans in New Orleans that don’t want the name “Pelicans” anymore. Lol
I’m glad they’re casting a wide net in their search. Talking to a lot of candidates increases the chances of not just finding a great coach, but also the right coach.
Utah is unique in many ways. The Jazz organization reflects this in many ways as well. They need someone who can respect this aspect of the area and even appreciate it.
If you want to know more about Utah, read on…
Some people fear, say the Mormon community, for some reason. Like they’re going to somehow magically brainwash them. Lol. That’s not very logical.
The truth is that the community is the same in most ways to everywhere across the country I’ve lived. They worship Christ. They love their families and friends. They like to dance and have parties. They love fireworks and sports.
There is an emphasis on the outdoors, boating, camping, hiking, climbing, 4×4, skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, etc are all big deals. Lots of stores all over dedicated to it.
There’s also not much of an accent. That’s why there’s lots of call centers in Utah. They’re generally very friendly and polite, but there are exceptions, just like anywhere though.
There’s a lot more diversity then people expect. Just have to know where those communities tend to group up. For example, the West side of the Salt Lake valley. There’s lots of Latinos, Polynesians, African, and some Oriental areas as well. But generally, it’s all mixed together with European and Canadian.
The biggest source of people came from when the church moved from New York, across the country to the Midwest and then to Utah. The pioneers bled and died to get here for religious freedom, in America, which is an eyeopener and sad. Therefore, when outsiders come here to try and change things or challenge things they’re going to get strong opposition. Some take it too far, but generally people are polite about it.
It also means that the community respects hard workers and that Pioneer spirit. I would think any coach hired with these qualities would be well received. Notice how lazy players don’t tend to last long on the Jazz. There’s a tangible positive energy feedback when they work hard instead.
As for culture, a large percentage of the population is LDS. The LDS church sends missionaries all over the world. They learn all those languages and cultures and
then bring them back. That broad outreach helps broaden the perspective of Utah’s culture. You see it in the wide variety of restaurants and churches/wards where the native language is something else (Spanish, Tongan, Samoan, etc).
A broad perspective also tends to lower fear of the unknown. That’s why whenever I see any hint of racism in Utah, it very much stands out as out of place. It just doesn’t match that broad acceptance of other cultures. It’s not a logical conclusion. When people say otherwise, it’s easy to tell they’re judging too quickly based on limited information.
Plus, alcohol consumption is less in Utah so there’s fewer accidents and problems caused by it. :) That’s not too say there’s not plenty of accidents. Most people drive cars instead of public transportation. However, TRAX has greatly improved and reduced that. It goes all over the county now.
Long story short, there’s a very distinct culture difference in Utah, but it’s mostly the same as anywhere else. People who give it a chance notice this and tend to appreciate the differences.
It’s generally a positive place to live. There’s always going to be those people that complain and fear, but I’ve tried to help by being understanding and explaining in a calm way to help alleviate those fears and reasons to complain. Getting outside and exercising also help brighten our outlook.
Thank you for reading. Have a great week, everyone! :)
So Jenson then! Already there.
He’s still under contract, Ainge said. He’s going to be running their Summer League teams for the Jazz. Maybe more? I guess we’ll see.
I do really like him. I’d be very happy with that choice. Give him a legit shot.