Utah Jazz head coach visits and inspires BYU student athletes

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder stopped by the Brigham Young University campus on Tuesday as part of a Q&A speaker series. He was accompanied by team owner and BYU alumni Ryan Smith.

BYU boasts one of the best athletics programs of any college in Utah. Still, a visit from a head coach in the National Basketball Association was undoubtedly a special opportunity for the student athletes on campus.

Snyder shares special connections with several BYU staff members. He recruited BYU assistant Chris Burgess to Duke while he was an assistant coach of the Blue Devils. Furthermore, Snyder grew up in Mercer Island, Washington, merely ten minutes from where BYU basketball head coach Mark Pope prepped at Newport High School.

With the NCAA season approaching in two months, there’s no question members of the BYU Cougars, the men’s basketball team, particularly appreciated the visit from the Utah Jazz skipper. Regardless, Snyder was in attendance to speak with student athletes across the entire campus, and his presence was a wonderful opportunity for all involved.

Snyder wasn’t only in town to inspire and motivate the BYU students: he found time for a little bit of fun as well. BYU guard Te’Jon Lucas said on his Instagram that Snyder shared a story about Coach Pope completing a 360 windmill dunk back in the pair’s younger days. Without question, both Pope and the students appreciated that anecdote.

With the 2021-22 NBA season rapidly approaching, there’s no question that Coach Snyder has his hands full preparing the Utah Jazz for what onlookers anticipate to be a successful year. Therefore, his presence on BYU campus has to be all-the-more appreciated by the Utah community. In smaller NBA markets like Utah, team engagement with the community is considerably more important.

Kudos to Coach Snyder for facilitating exactly that, and representing the Utah Jazz proudly.