Salt City Hoops 2.0

After more than four years on the Jazz beat for the ESPN TrueHoop Network, some changes are in the works. As many of you know, I recently accepted a position as the news director at KSL.com. In order to deliver the finest in news and opinion on the Utah Jazz, I’m excited to introduce Andy B. Larsen as the new managing editor for the site.

Andy is a well-known member of the online Jazz family, contributing statistical analysis and clever writing all over the place — most recently for SB Nation at SLCDunk.com. Though a graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, lifelong Jazz fan, and prodigious writer, his most important accomplishment was probably celebrating the end of the NBA lockout with me and @shandonfan at Dee’s in Sugarhouse at 3 o’clock in the morning. Andy stunned us by ordering (and finishing) a gigantic plate of spaghetti and meatballs despite the early hour. I needed no further proof of his credentials as a blogger.

I’ll continue to own the site and oversee the editorial direction as the Chairman of the Board (because that’s the kind of thing you do when you rule by fiat). I’ll also continue to tweet about basketball and nonsense from @saltcityhoops. You can follow my other thoughts at @spencerhall. Both handles work for Instagram, too, if you’re into that.

Jackson Rudd and Evan Hall (no relation) will join me and Jeff Lind on the Board of Directors, helping Andy as he assembles his world-class team of contributors.

On a personal note, it’s been a thrill to build the Salt City Hoops brand and represent the ESPN TrueHoop Network since 2009. So many of you have been incredibly kind and supportive over the years. A special thanks goes out to the gentleman/scholar Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune for allowing me to use him as a mentor. I delivered the Deseret News (where he used to write) as a kid and read everything Kurt ever wrote. Even though I pestered him with a million questions, he graciously treated me like a respected colleague from the minute I arrived on the Jazz beat and I’ll forever be thankful.

A special shout out to Jeremiah Jensen at KSL for helping launch our Retro Jazz project; to Dave Fox at KUTV for treating me like a superstar every time I appeared on his show; to Scott Garrard at 1280 The Zone for taking a chance on me and letting me host the Saturday Show on the Jazz flagship station; to Jody Gennesy at the Deseret News for his help and friendship and great humor; to Lisa Carricaburu and the sports team at the Salt Lake Tribune for giving me the opportunity to contribute to their gameday coverage. KSL’s Jarom Moore was a big help on press row as the honorary VP of Treats and Fourth Quarter Candy, as well.

I’ll continue to participate in the greater TrueHoop Network ecosystem, so a goodbye to my ESPN people is unnecessary. That said, a big thanks to ESPN‘s Henry Abbott and Kevin Arnovitz for the opportunity to represent the Jazz in the ESPN NBA community.

Thanks for all the good times. I’m confident you’re in good hands.