Jazz Add 76ers Oliva To Coaching Staff
Oct 15, 2020, 6:58 PM
Quin Snyder of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are adding another name to Quin Snyder’s coaching staff. First reported by Keith Pompey of The Philadephia Inquirer and confirmed by KSL Sports, the Jazz will hire Sergi Oliva after parting ways with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Oliva was named the vice president of strategy for the 76ers last season after serving as a basketball operations analyst beginning in 2014. The former executive also served as senior director of analytics and strategy.
The Sixers and their VP of strategy Sergi Olivia have parted ways, according to sources. But he’ll remain in the NBA, accepting a coaching position with the #UtahJazz.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 15, 2020
According to his LinkedIn page, Oliva attended the Polytechnic University of Catalonia where he earned a Ph.D. in complexity theory. The Jazz will undoubtedly have one of the best-educated coaching staff’s in the NBA. Snyder first graduated from Duke University with a double-major in Philosophy and Political science in the late ’80s, before turning to Duke and earning his Juris Doctor Law Degree in 1995.
According to Pompey, Oliva’s analytics-driven approach helped determine the 76ers rotation and substitution patterns.
Oliva marks the third coach added to Snyder’s staff since the Jazz were eliminated from the playoffs last month, and the second former executive to accept a coaching role with the Jazz.
In late September, the Jazz added former New Orleans Pelicans general manager Dell Demps to Snyder’s bench. Demps had been Snyder’s boss while the Jazz coach was overseeing the Austin Toro’s of the NBA D League.
According to @wojespn, the @UtahJazz have hired former New Orleans Pelicans GM Dell Demps as an assistant coach. #TakeNote https://t.co/16uovbc4Sf
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 25, 2020
The Jazz also hired longtime NBA veteran Keyon Dooling to serve in a developmental role. Dooling played for Snyder as a sophomore during the Jazz coach’s first lead position at Missouri. As a sophomore averaged 15.3 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.7 rebounds and was drafted with the 10th overall pick of the 2000 NBA draft.
Snyder had a vacancy on his bench after assistant coach Johnnie Bryant accepted a position with the New York Knicks in August.
