NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway has hired Nolan Smith as an assistant coach, the school announced Wednesday.
Smith spent the past two seasons in the same capacity at Louisville under former coach Kenny Payne. Payne was fired in March with a 12-52 record at Louisville. Prior to joining Payne’s staff, Smith worked for legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for six seasons, the last of which as an assistant coach.
“Nolan is a grit and grind guy and is one of the brightest young coaches in college basketball,” Hardaway said in a school release. “He works hard and has a passion for the game that is unmatched.”
Memphis is set to host North Carolina in a preseason charity exhibition game on Oct. 15 (6 p.m., ESPNU) at FedExForum. The Tigers will also face Alabama in a preseason charity exhibition game on Oct. 28 in Huntsville, Alabama, before opening the regular season against Missouri on Nov. 4 at home.
Smith was also star during his playing career. The Upper Marlboro, Maryland, native led Duke to a national championship in 2010, then became a first-team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year in 2011.
“He brings a championship mindset to our team after not only having won a national championship as a player, but also by learning from one of the all-time greats in Mike Krzyzewski,” Hardaway said.
Smith joins a Tigers coaching staff on the heels of a substantial shakeup. Two weeks ago − just two months before the team’s season opener − Hardaway fired four staff members: assistant coach Rick Stansbury, director of player development Jamie Rosser, special advisor to the head coach Faragi Phillips, and director of recruiting Demetrius Dyson. That news was announced the same day the University acknowledged the existence of an anonymous letter alleging the program had committed multiple potential major NCAA violations in recent years.
Smith is no stranger to Hardaway, who reportedly interviewed him for an assistant vacancy in 2020. Rather than leave, Smith remained at…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/memphis-basketball-coach-penny-hardaway-140101178.html
Author : The Commercial Appeal
Publish date : 2024-09-18 14:01:01
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
