Report: Nolan Smith to Become Associate Head Coach at Louisville

The Blue Devils assistant and son of Cardinals legend Derek Smith is coming home.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kenny Payne's staff at Louisville is starting to come together.

Current Duke assistant coach Nolan Smith "plans on accepting a job" as the associate head coach of the Cardinals men's basketball program, according to ESPN/Andscape's Marc J. Spears. The Raleigh News & Observer's Steve Wiseman had previously reported that Smith and Louisville were "having discussions" about joining Payne's staff.

From the moment that Louisville and Chris Mack mutually parted ways in late January, Smith’s name had been consistently floated around as someone who could potentially make the jump to the Cards - regardless of who was head coach - due to his ties to the program and city.

His father, Derek, was a star for the Cardinals under Denny Crum, was a member of Louisville’s 1980 championship, and is the seventh-leading scorer in program history. Smith was also born in Louisville, and his father, who died of a massive heart attack in 1996, is buried at Cave Hill Cemetery.

As both a player and a coach, Smith brings to Louisville a fair amount of basketball acumen. He was a star for the Blue Devils from 2007-11, helped them win a national title in 2010, and was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American in 2011.

Smith returned to Duke in 2016 after his playing career ended, starting out as a special assistant. He was promoted to director of basketball operations and player development in 2018, then promoted again this past offseason to assistant coach.

Duke went 32-7 and 16-4 in ACC play this season during his lone season as an assistant, reaching the Final Four before falling to North Carolina this past Friday.

Payne and Smith will create an impressive 1-2 punch for Louisville from a recruiting standpoint. Smith played a sizable role in helping the Blue Devils secure the top-ranked recruiting class in the 2022 cycle, and was the lead recruiter for top-five prospect Dariq Whitehead. He was also the primary recruiter for top-15 '23 prospect Caleb Foster.

Smith is the first member to be hired to Payne's coaching and support staff. With roster decisions from players coming at a fast a furious rate, Louisville's 2022-23 roster could be set sooner rather than later.

(Photo of Nolan Smith via Duke Athletics)

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