LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Danny Manning, who has served as a collegiate head or assistant coach for 15 years and is one of the premier players in college basketball history, has joined the University of Louisville men's basketball staff as associate head coach under the Cardinals' first-year head coach Kenny Payne.
Manning has nearly nine years of head coaching experience, having coached for two seasons at Tulsa (2012-14), six at Wake Forest (2014-20), and an extended period as interim head coach at Maryland last season (2021-22). He was also an assistant coach at Kansas for six years (2006-12), where he helped the Jayhawks attain the 2008 NCAA Championship. He has guided two different schools to the NCAA Tournament and won a conference regular season and tournament title. He worked as an analyst for ESPN during the 2020-21 season.
"Very rarely do you have an opportunity to hire a coach that encompasses all the experiences that a college basketball player goes through," said Payne. "I’m so excited and thrilled to bring a family member, a friend and a coach who has lived a special life as both a player and a coach within the culture I’m trying to establish. Danny Manning is that and much more."
Manning's impressive basketball résumé includes being a member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, a two-time first-team All-American, the No. 1 overall selection in the 1988 NBA Draft, a two-time NBA All-Star, 1998 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, an NCAA Champion as a player and as an assistant coach, a three-time Division I head coach and an Olympian.
“I am very fortunate, blessed and excited to be part of the City of Louisville, The University of Louisville, and Louisville Basketball with Coach Payne,” said Manning. “I have spent a lot of fun time watching the Louisville Basketball program dating back to the Metro Conference Tournament. I have been fortunate to watch many people around basketball in my career. KP is someone that I have always admired for his work ethic, knowledge of the game, and passion for helping young men reach their dreams and doing things the right way. I am blessed that he has given me this chance to continue working with young men, impacting their lives on and off the court, and helping them reach their dreams. I am equally excited to work with Nolan Smith, as his father was a mentor to me and Kenny. Derek helped show me the ropes of high-level basketball."
All three coaches currently on the UofL staff have won an NCAA Championship as a player, and two have also won national titles as a member of the coaching staff at their respective institutions: Payne as a player at Louisville in 1986 and as an assistant coach at Kentucky in 2012; Manning as a player at Kansas in 1988 and as an assistant coach when the Jayhawks won the title in 2008; and UofL assistant coach Nolan Smith as a player at Duke when the Blue Devils won the 2010 championship.
Manning most recently had become an assistant coach at Maryland in April 2021 before serving as interim head coach after then-head coach Mark Turgeon stepped down on Dec. 3. Maryland posted a 15-17 record with seven quad 1 and 2 wins, including four top 25 wins after playing 18 games against teams in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins were 13-1 when leading with five minutes to play, with the lone loss coming at No. 3 Purdue.
