Breaking Down Kenny Payne's First Coaching Staff at Louisville
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It might have taken a little bit longer than what most fans were expecting, but Kenny Payne's first coaching staff at Louisville is now officially complete.
On Wednesday, Payne, who was hired as the head coach of the Cardinals back on Mar. 18, officially announced that Oregon executive director Josh Jamieson would be the third and final assistant on his bench. Earlier this month, he had also added former Duke assistant Nolan Smith and former Kansas legend/Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning.
"As time goes on, you'll understand that what I've basically have done is put together a staff that's a great staff," Payne said during Jamieson's introductory press conference. "Not good, it's great."
Payne still has to make a few more hires to his support staff, or at least officially announce them, but he has the three most important hires already done and out of the way. That being said, let's take a look at what each assistant, both individually and collectively, brings to the table for Louisville.
First, we'll take a look at what Smith brings since he was the first one hired. Though he is the youngest of all the coaches on the staff at just 33-years-old, he has an incredibly bright future ahead of him. Spending 10 of the last 15 years with the Blue Devils as both a player and staff member, he learned from one of the sport's all-time greats in Mike Krzyzewski, and is considering a rising star in college basketball coaching circles.
At Louisville, he'll likely work alongside the guards when it comes to a coaching standpoint, considering that was his position during his playing days. He will also likely be the ace recruiter on Payne's staff, as he was heavily involved with '22 Duke commit Dariq Whitehead and '23 Duke commit Caleb Foster. Both are top-15 prospects, and both classes are No. 1 overall for the Blue Devils
"As I talked about in my (introductory) press conference, the criteria that I was looking for (in an assistant coach), the whole time I knew it was [Smith]," Payne said. "The love of young people, high character, dedicated to the craft, helping kids reach their dreams. All of that is him."
Next, let's look at Manning. Right off the bat, he gives Payne what he calls 'invaluable' experience in that Manning has eight years of head coaching experience - including six in the ACC at Wake Forest. It might not have been the most successful run, but with hindsight being 20/20, Manning can pass any and all knowledge and advice on how to be a head coach to Payne.
While Manning did recruit fairly well by Wake Forest standards, he also put on display his talent and ability to develop post players. John Collins was just a three-star prospect coming out of high school, but was developed into a First-Team All-ACC player and first round 2017 NBA Draft pick. Oliver Sarr was also molded from a three-star prospect to an All-ACC caliber player, and saw a noticeable drop-off in effectiveness after he transferred to Kentucky.
"What better situation for me, my first head coaching job, than to have this brother (Manning) - who I consider my brother - right next to me," Payne said. "Guiding me, helping me, giving me his experiences along with mine and Nolan's, and trying to build this together."
Then finally, we have Jamieson. Sure, he might not be a sexy hire like Smith or Manning was, but there are potential tremendous benefits with this hire. He spent the last 15 years in Eugene, with 14 of those years being the Ducks' director of operations. If Justin Perez does wind up being Payne's Director of Basketball operations like has been reported, Jamieson can assist with the transition.
Not only that, but Jamieson does give Payne and Louisville a west coast connection. Of course, his addition does fuel the ever-persistent Nike vs. Adidas debate amongst the Louisville fanbase, but one spin on this could be that his connections with people closely tied to Nike could be a benefit from, at the very least, a recruiting standpoint. He also does have some coaching and recruiting experience stemming from his days at the University of Portland.
"[Jamieson] is one of the brightest young basketball minds in the business," Payne said. "He has done everything it takes to run a program from A to Z. From scheduling, to whatever it is to run a basketball program, this man has done, and he is a hell of a basketball coach. This opportunity is a benefit to us more than I can tell you, and I'm happy that he's here with me."
Given Payne's own proficiencies as a coach, it seems that there are two areas that this staff should excel in: recruiting and post player development. Payne's track record at Kentucky as a recruiter speaks for itself, and the 1-2 punch of him and Smith will get the Cardinals back in the mix with elite company very soon.
Plus, adding that most of Louisville's six confirmed returning players are in the front court - not to mention that Payne's first commitment is from a front court player - the painted area of the floor could very well be a strength of the Cardinals for the 2022-23 season. Sure, the roster is far from complete, but there is reason to believe the big men for Louisville should be much more physical and tough than in recent years.
There's still months until we see this team back in action, and there's still no real idea of how the Kenny Payne era as a whole will pan out, much less his first year at the helm. But with the staff that he has surrounded himself with, coupled with what he himself brings, there is very valid reasons for Louisville fans to be excited
(Photo of Nolan Smith: Matt Stone - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK, Danny Manning: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK, Josh Jamieson: Alton Strupp - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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