Louisville coach Payne adds Danny Manning to Cardinals staff

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville basketball coach Kenny Payne has hired former Kansas great Danny Manning as an assistant, a month after he completed an interim stint at Maryland.

The 55-year-old Manning guided the Terrapins to a 15-17 finish after taking over for Mark Turgeon in December. Manning was 78-111 as Wake Forest’s coach from 2014-2020 and 38-29 with Tulsa from 2012-14 after working as a Kansas assistant the previous six seasons.

Payne said in a release that Manning “encompasses all the experiences that a college basketball player goes through.’’ The first-time head coach called Manning a family member and added he's “thrilled” to bring aboard a former player and coach to help establish the culture.

“I didn’t want to miss out on getting in on the ground level with Kenny as he builds this program,” Manning said during a news conference. “Part of my job is to throw ideas at him, and continue to throw ideas at him to help him navigate.”

Manning led Kansas to the 1988 NCAA championship as a two-time All-American before becoming the No. 1 overall selection in the NBA draft. He scored 12,367 points in 15 NBA seasons with seven teams and earned All-Star honors in 1993 and ’94 along with the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1998. Inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, he played on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.

On Monday, Payne added former Duke assistant Nolan Smith to his staff.

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