The Celtics are finalizing a deal to add veteran Spurs assistant Will Hardy to Ime Udoka‘s new coaching staff, reports Jay King of The Athletic (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Celtics Hire Imu Udoka As Head Coach]
It’s a nice get for Boston and for Udoka, who worked as a Spurs assistant himself from 2012-19. Hardy joined San Antonio’s video department in 2011 and was later promoted to the coaching staff in 2015, so he and Udoka have several years of experience working together.
Hardy and Udoka were also both on Gregg Popovich‘s Team USA staff at the 2019 World Cup. Udoka reportedly developed a connection with Celtics players Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart during that time with the U.S. national team, which helped earn him Boston’s head coaching job.
Hardy has some Massachusetts roots, as he played his college ball at Williams College. He coached several of the Spurs’ Summer League teams between 2015-18, and has also received some consideration as a head coaching candidate in the past, having been linked to the Pacers, Knicks, and Thunder when they were conducting coaching searches in 2020.
There’s an expectation that the Celtics will continue to target experienced assistants to fill out their coaching staff in order to put first-time head coach Udoka in the best position to succeed.
An effort is currently underway to locate an assistant coach candidate with the last name of LAUREL to pair up with HARDY !!
It was a nice try Dad, but it’s not really funny.
Tell us your old, without telling us your old.
Well, Rich Laurel from the ’78 Bucks is still alive. See if he’s up for the task.
I read an article saying that he was the favorite over Becky to take over the spurs head coaching job, but with him leaving that seemingly puts Becky as next in line without competition from anyone on the bench who can realistically take over for Pop. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if that was one of the reasons he chose to leave, knowing he would probably get interviews to be a head coach elsewhere, but with Becky always being second in interviews the spurs job once pop retires is best for her. Idk just speculation. This guy will probably be a head coach soon enough though, just like most of Pop’s assistants lol
i hope she stays with the spurs and becomes the hc. it’ll be a natural progression instead of feeling like it’s being forced.
It would still be forced. The gate has been opened and people (mostly female) will cry until a female head coach is named anywhere. And then watch the team try to fire her after a 9-52 start. Listen to the cries of ‘discrimination’.
I think the point is though that with any other organization it will be an abrupt change that might not transition well. With her already being a long time assistant coach the players will be more comfortable under her lead, and the organization will be more patient with her. I mean anywhere else I agree if she had a rough start like a 9-52, she would be fired. The spurs would be more patient with her in that respect. The best chance of her sticking as a head coach in the NBA and succeeding at that is with the spurs. Anywhere else I don’t know if she could last long. Idk. Hard to predict the future so would it be forced, probably a little, but definitely not like anywhere else she could be hired.