Long before he became the head coach of the Utah Jazz, Will Hardy ’10 was taking seminars as an English major at the College. Despite the differences between a seminar classroom and an NBA locker room, Hardy noted that his academic experiences influenced his coaching philosophy. “The classes were smaller and far more conversational than lecture style, and that’s sort of how I like our film session with [the Jazz] to be,” he said.

A series of Williamstown connections led Hardy to his first position in professional athletics — a film internship with the San Antonio Spurs. While he was playing at Williams, Hardy knew Curt Tong, who had previously coached basketball at Williams in the ’80s. Tong, meanwhile, was a longtime friend and former colleague of Gregg Popovich, the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. When the Spurs were seeking an intern, Popovich turned to Tong, who recommended Hardy.

Hardy worked his way up within the Spurs organization to become an assistant coach, a position he held until moving to the Boston Celtics in 2021. He stayed with the Celtics as an assistant coach for a year, before becoming head coach of the Jazz in 2022. 

This year, Hardy established the Will Hardy Foundation, which raises money for care and equipment to support people with ALS, in honor of his father. 

The foundation celebrated its kick-off on Sept. 23 with a gala and golf tournament hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hardy attributed the event’s success to the hard work and support of his friends and family and highlighted the encouragement he received from Jazz players at the golf course. “It was an off day for [our players], and they all came out and supported [me],” he said. “It was something that touched me, because we talk internally about this concept of showing love, and I think the relationships we’ve all built, we want them to go deeper than the basketball piece. We want them to have more depth than just inside the lines.”

Hardy noted that his time at the College was also critical in broadening his perspective and enabling his success later in life, both as a philanthropist and basketball coach. “Williams expanded my world,” he said. “Until I was 18, I lived in the same place, I went to a smaller high school… I remember being on my WOOLF trip, and there [was] a kid in my group from the Maldives, and there [were] people from not just all over the country but the world.” 

The diversity of the College’s student body has informed his approach as a head coach, he added. “[My players] have different hometowns, different colleges, and different [home] countries, and there’s a lot of differences that they would have in their individual lives, but they’re all bonded by this common thread of basketball,” he said. “I think my experience at Williams was a great learning ground on how to focus on the common piece and use some of those differences to fuel that fire.”

For Hardy, the College ultimately paved the way for how he achieved and handled his career achievements. “I think my Williams experience has shaped a lot of my approach after college, in terms of not just seeking success, but also what you do if you have a little bit of success,” he said.