Jazz Scheduling Second Round Of Interviews In Coaching Search

CEO Danny Ainge and the Jazz have gone through a first round of interviews for their coaching vacancy and are now moving toward the next stage.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, nearly all of the 15 candidates will be interviewed a second time.

Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel, former Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts and ex-NBA guard Jason Terry are among the known candidates. Charania also listed the others.

They are: Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant; Jazz assistants Alex Jensen and Lamar Skeeter; Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin; Celtics assistants Will Hardy and Joe Mazulla; Bucks assistant Charles Lee; Heat assistant Chris Quinn; Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney; Pistons assistant Jerome Allen; 76ers assistant Sam Cassell; and Suns assistant Kevin Young.

You can read details about the majority of those listed on our Jazz page right here.

Ainge has gone on record saying there are “many, many coaches who would die to have this job,” and said the Jazz intend to be deliberate and take their time in the search.

“We’re trying to figure out what net to cast,” Ainge said, via Dana Greene of ABC4. “Do they have to have head coaching experience? Are they just NBA guys? Are they NBA assistants? What’s the age criteria and experience criteria?”

Utah is looking to replace Quin Snyder, who stepped down after eight seasons. Right now, there is no reported frontrunner for the vacancy, but all that is highly likely to change after a second round of interviews.

Word is that standout guard Donovan Mitchell is a fan of Bryant, though there is no sense that Mitchell is pushing the team to hire one of his favorites.

Vogel and Stotts are also bigger names as two former head coaches, with Vogel and the Lakers winning the title in the 2020 Disney bubble.