Report: Louisville Assistant Nolan Smith Interviewing for G-League Job
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men's basketball head coach Kenny Payne has already seen a player depart the program this offseason. Now, he might have an assistant coach jump ship as well.
Nolan Smith is interviewing for the vacant head coaching position with the Capital City Go-Go, the NBA G League affiliate of the Washington Wizards, according to college basketball insider Trilly Donovan.
"Smith is intimately familiar with the DMV, having played high school and prep-ball there growing up," Donovan wrote on his site BurnerBall. "Smith’s interest in the G-league position isn’t surprising. Louisville is staring down the barrel of a second consecutive losing season and Smith has had his eyes on the NBA for a long time. He’s considered one of the best assistants in the country and this may be the right time to make a move."
The son of former Cardinals star Derek Smith, Nolan was the first assistant coach hired by Payne last offseason, coming over from his alma mater of Duke. Smith 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. Before joining Louisville, he had spent the previous six years in Durham in various off-court capacities, including assistant coach.
However, Louisville will be looking for a massive rebound in their second year under Payne. During his first season at the helm, the Cardinals went just 4-28 overall and 2-18 in ACC play, setting a new program record for most losses in a single season.
After the end of the season, Payne opted not to make any changes with his bench staff, which consisted of Smith, Danny Manning and Josh Jamieson.
Seven players entered the transfer portal following the end of his first season, with only Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor being the scholarship returners for year two. Hercy Miller is also back, but has been reverted to a walk-on.
With Smith as his lead recruiter, Payne was able to flip the roster early in the offseason, bringing in the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, but that has started to fall apart in recent weeks. Top freshman Trentyn Flowers stunningly opted to forgo college and play in the NBL, while questions linger about Ty-Laur Johnson's eligibility despite him being able to enroll at the 11th hour.
That being said, the Cardinals are still welcoming transfers Skyy Clark, Tre White and Danilo Jovanovich; 2023 prospects Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn, Curtis Williams Jr. and Johnson; plus JUCO transfer Koron Davis.
Louisville will tip-off the 2023-24 season against UMBC on Monday, Nov. 6 at the KFC Yum! Center.
(Photo of Nolan Smith: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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