Kenny Payne adds Milt Wagner to staff in hybrid role

Former Louisville basketball star Milt Wagner has been hired at U of L in a hybrid role that will have him working both with the men’s basketball team and the university at large.

Wagner will serve as the director of player development on the hoops side and director of alumni relations with the school. Ty Spalding of CaridnalSports.com was the first to report the news.

Wagner’s job not being limited to basketball (he is technically a university employee, not a U of L athletics employee) will allow Louisville to recruit his grandson, D.J., who is the No. 1 player in the class of 2023. NCAA rules stipulate that if a family member of a recruit is added to a basketball staff, it has to be as one of the team’s three primary assistants. This, obviously, is a way around that.

A three-time All-Metro Conference selection, Milt “Ice” Wagner ranks fifth on U of L’s all-time scoring list with 1,836 career points. He played in 144 career games, second all-time at Louisville, and started the last 111 games he played. He ranks sixth in career assists (432) and seventh in career free-throw percentage (.808, 336-of-413).

There was a lot of buzz when Kenny Payne first became the front-runner to land the Louisville gig that Milt would be a member of his staff in some capacity. Clearly, U of L did their due diligence here to make sure that everything was done by the book.

The positive offseason vibes roll on.