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 HornetsHanzlik 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 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