Report: Celtics to hire Spurs' Will Hardy to Ime Udoka's staff

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The Boston Celtics are adding to their new coaching staff by reuniting Ime Udoka with one of his former colleagues.

The Celtics are finalizing a deal to hire San Antonio Spurs assistant Will Hardy to their coaching staff, The Athletic's Jay King reported Monday.

Hardy has been with the Spurs for 10 seasons, beginning in 2010 as a video intern before serving as video coordinator from 2013 to 2015 and taking a full-time assistant coach role in 2015.

Udoka spent seven seasons with the Spurs as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2019. Udoka and Hardy were two of head coach Gregg Popovich's top assistants alongside Becky Hammon before Udoka left for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.

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Udoka and Hardy also were assistants at the 2019 FIBA World Cup for a Team USA squad featuring Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

Hardy reportedly interviewed for the New York Knicks' head coach opening last summer and has spent the last two seasons as Popovich's lead assistant. He has a local tie, as well: Hardy played basketball at Division III Williams College in Western Mass., where his Ephs went 30-2 and were the national runners-up during his senior season.

We could see more changes to the Celtics' coaching staff in the transition from Brad Stevens to Udoka, but Hardy's reported hiring is a great place to start.

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