Danny Manning joins Louisville basketball team as assistant coach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville freshman head coach Kenny Payne has hired former Kansas College Basketball Hall of Famer Danny Manning as an assistant, a months after the coaching veteran completed an acting stint at Maryland.

Manning, who turns 56 in May, guided the Terrapins to a 15-17 record after taking over from Mark Turgeon in December. He was 78-111 as head coach of Wake Forest from 2014-20 and 38-29 at Tulsa from 2012-14 after working as an assistant at Kansas the previous six seasons.

Payne said in a statement that Manning “encompasses all of the experiences of being a college basketball player.” Culture.

“I didn’t want to miss stepping onto the court with Kenny as he built this program,” Manning said at a press conference. “Part of my job is to throw ideas at him and keep throwing ideas at him to help him navigate.”

Manning’s highly decorated basketball career includes leading Kansas to the 1988 NCAA Championship as a two-time All-American before becoming the No. 1 overall selection in that year’s NBA draft. .

He’s KU’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, and despite injuries impacting his pro career, he scored 12,367 points in 15 NBA seasons with seven teams while earning All-Star honors in 1993 and 1994 with the sixth man of the year. award in 1998. Manning also played on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team.

Manning’s hiring is the second this week by Payne, who added former Duke assistant Nolan Smith to his team on Monday.

Manning was in New Orleans for the 2021-22 Kansas basketball program’s run to the national championship, sitting with several other KU big names behind the Jayhawks’ bench in their 72-69 win over Carolina. Nord in the title match on April 4.