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Report: Kenny Payne expected to add Danny Manning to Louisville staff as assistant coach

On3 imageby:Tyler Mansfield•04/15/22•

TMansfieldMedia

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M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

New Louisville head men’s basketball coach Kenny Payne is making some big-time moves. While he’s already hired former Duke player and assistant coach Nolan Smith as his top assistant, Payne is now expected to bring on another big-name coach to add to his inaugural staff.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, Payne and the Cardinals are expected to hire Danny Manning – a longtime college basketball assistant and head coach – as an assistant coach. Manning, 55, most recently served as an assistant and then interim head coach at Maryland and was the head coach at Wake Forest from 2014-2020. Prior to his time at Wake Forest, Manning served as the head coach at Tulsa from 2012-2014 and was an assistant at Kansas from 2006-2012.

A Hattiesburg, Mississippi native, Manning played at Kansas from 1984-1988 and was the top overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played in the NBA until 2003, which included stints with the Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons. Manning was a two-time NBA All-Star in 1993 and 1994.

While Louisville’s program declined under former head coach Chris Mack, Payne is making all the right moves to get the Cardinals back on track.

Payne, Louisville steal key Duke assistant Nolan Smith for first major staff hire

In hopes of restoring Louisville‘s men’s basketball program, new head coach Kenny Payne is off to a pretty strong start at his alma mater. While Payne has already convinced some Cardinals’ players to return for next season, the coach is now starting to assemble his inaugural staff – and he has made his first hire.

Payne has hired Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith to be one of his assistant coaches at Louisville. Smith – who also played for the Blue Devils – is a Louisville native, as his late father, Derek, was a standout for the Cardinals.

After a successful run on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke, Smith is now set to return home and help Payne build back Louisville’s program – which took a step backwards under former head coach Chris Mack.