William Henry Hanzlik (born December 6, 1957) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and coach.
College career
A 6'7"
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison ...
, Hanzlik played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
at the
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
. 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 Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
s created especially for the spurned athletes.
Professional career
He was selected with the 20th pick of the
1980 NBA draft by the
Seattle SuperSonics
The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...
. 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
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
for ten years – two with the Sonics and eight with the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
. He was a 1986 All-Defense second team selection. He worked as an assistant with the Charlotte Hornets
Hanzlik accepts post as Hornets' assistant
/ref> and Atlanta Hawks in the 1990s.
Coaching career
In 1997, Hanzlik (then an assistant with Atlanta) was tabbed to replace Dick Motta
John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 ...
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
Michael D'Andrew D'Antoni (born May 8, 1951) is an Italian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
While head coach of the Ph ...
. To date, Hanzlik owns the worst full-season record for a rookie coach in NBA history.
Head coaching record
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Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
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References
External links
Player stats at Basketball-Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanzlik, Bill
1957 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Atlanta Hawks assistant coaches
Basketball coaches from Ohio
Basketball coaches from Wisconsin
Basketball players from Ohio
Basketball players from Wisconsin
Charlotte Hornets assistant coaches
Congressional Gold Medal recipients
Denver Nuggets assistant coaches
Denver Nuggets head coaches
Denver Nuggets players
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Sportspeople from Beloit, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Middletown, Ohio
Seattle SuperSonics draft picks
Seattle SuperSonics players
Shooting guards
Sportspeople from the Cincinnati metropolitan area