The Floyd Street Tribune: The significance of Nolan Smith with Louisville basketball

Inside: A column on the symbolism - and powerful message - of Nolan Smith's reported addition to Kenny Payne's staff. Plus, other recruiting and staff tidbits.

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The significance of Nolan Smith

The assumption at Louisville is that new coach Kenny Payne’s staff will be unveiled as a group, which may be a factor in why there have been no announcements just yet. But some expected news came this week when ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that Nolan Smith would leave Duke to serve as Payne’s associate head coach at Louisville.

This is the first staff domino, and it is one of two very important staff dominoes. (The other, of course, is the expected hiring of Milt Wagner as an assistant coach.) Smith is a big get for a variety of reasons. First, his hiring again taps into Louisville basketball history, just as Payne’s did. Smith’s dad won a national title with U of L, the program’s first. Second, Smith is a Duke legend, the point guard of a national title-winning squad who was ACC player of the year and an All-American. He played in the NBA. These are hoops bona fides. Third, he spent six years on Coach K’s staff, rising through the ranks until his promotion to assistant last year. The 33-year-old is young, charismatic and really, really sharp. He is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks — and he was a high-profile figure at the highest-profile program in college basketball.

All of that adds up to this: Payne hiring Smith away from Duke before Jon Scheyer’s first full year as the new head coach is a big pull and a statement hire. That, paired with hiring the grandfather of the top prospect in the 2023 class — a guy who also happens to be a national title winner at Louisville, is a major declaration of intent.