Bill Hanzlik

Bill Hanzlik
Personal information
Born (1957-12-06) December 6, 1957 (age 67)
Middletown, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNotre Dame (1976–1980)
NBA draft1980: 1st round, 20th overall pick
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career1980–1990
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Number22, 24
Career history
As player:
1980–1982Seattle SuperSonics
1982–1990Denver Nuggets
As coach:
1991–1996Charlotte Hornets (assistant)
1996–1997Atlanta Hawks (assistant)
1997–1998Denver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,414 (7.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,058 (2.8 rpg)
Assists2,058 (2.8 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

William Henry Hanzlik (born December 6, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player and coach.

College career

A 6'7" guard, Hanzlik played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame. He was selected for the 1980 US Men's Olympic Team, which did not compete due to the US's boycott of the Moscow Games. However, in 2007 he did receive one of 461 Congressional Gold Medals created especially for the spurned athletes.[1][2]

Professional career

He was selected with the 20th pick of the 1980 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. A defensive specialist, at the time of his selection Hanzlik had the lowest college scoring average (7.2 ppg) for any player selected in the first round of the draft. Hanzlik played in the NBA for ten years – two with the Sonics and eight with the Denver Nuggets. He was a 1986 All-Defense second team selection. Coach Doug Moe often assigned Hanzlik to the opposing team's toughest player to guard, regardless of position, even once defending 7'4" center Ralph Sampson, with success. He worked as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets[3] and Atlanta Hawks in the 1990s.

Coaching career

In 1997, Hanzlik (then an assistant with Atlanta) was tabbed to replace Dick Motta as head coach of the Denver Nuggets. He coached the Nuggets for one year, posting an 11–71 record (only two games better than the all-time worst team, the 1972–73 Philadelphia 76ers). He was fired at the end of the season and replaced with Mike D'Antoni. To date, Hanzlik owns the worst full-season record for a rookie coach in NBA history.

Personal life

In 1986, he and Ray Baker formed the Gold Crown Foundation, a non-profit that operates year-round sports programs for area youths. After his dismissal as coach of the Nuggets, he decided to spend more time with the Foundation along with his family and four children.

He later became an analyst on Nuggets television broadcasts.[4][5][6]

Head coaching record

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Denver 1997–98 82 11 71 .134 7th in Midwest — — — — —
Career 82 11 71 .134 — — — —

References

  1. ^ Caroccioli, Tom; Caroccioli, Jerry (2008). Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Highland Park, IL: New Chapter Press. pp. 243–253. ISBN 978-0942257403.
  2. ^ Jensen-De Hart, Debra. "New faces featured in sports hall of fame". Beloit Daily News. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Hanzlik accepts post as Hornets' assistant
  4. ^ "Bill Hanzlik". Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Bill Hanzlik: A True Man For Others". RJ MEDIA NOW. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  6. ^ "Summer Olympics 2000 No harm, no foul for Hanzlik". www.espn.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.