Nolan Smith To Memphis As Asst. Coach

bluffcitymedia.co

Memphis basketball to hire Nolan Smith as assistant coach | Bluff City Media

The former Duke Blue Devil is Hardaway’s first assistant coaching hire this offseason. (Image Credit: Duke Athletics)
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Sources tell Bluff City Media that Memphis basketball is expected to hire Nolan Smith to fill its assistant coach vacancy left by Andy Borman in late May. The 35-year-old joins Rick Stansbury on the Tigers’ bench. Jermaine Johnson, who first joined Memphis as an assistant in 2020-21, is currently expected to fill Memphis’ final assistant coach slot.

Faragi Phillips—an assistant from last season—is returning to the coaching staff in a reduced role.

Hardaway, who originally tried to hire Smith in 2022, has also brought in former Indiana coach Mike Davis as a consultant and Tigers legend Andre Turner as the director of player/alumni relations.
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Well, that's interesting. Replace a Duke guy with another Duke guy. Here's the Bluff City Media article about Andy Borman's departure.
 
That's interesting. In an alternative timeline, Smith took the job in '22. Would he still be there today if that had been the case?

I have some respect for Mike Davis. The others on the bench, I'm not so sure. Hopefully, Nolan Smith can make his mark in Memphis.
 
I hope Nolan puts his head down and goes to work. He's a great recruiter and has a lot to offer a program but needs to rebuild his reputation a bit. I'm glad he's been given another shot.
 
DangerDevil said:
www.espn.com

Penny fires 4 Memphis staffers as season nears

Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway announced the firing of four staff members Wednesday, just two months before the start of the season.
www.espn.com www.espn.com


No mention of Nolan in this article, not one of the four fired nor is he listed as being on the Memphis staff.
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Yeah, that is odd.

With the four coaches no longer on staff, the only remaining coaches listed on the program's website are Dwight Boyd, the team's chief of staff, and Jordan VerHulst, the team's director of scouting. Trainer Darrell Turner and physical therapist Kevin Olds are also holdovers from last year's staff.
 
CBSSports has this:


The headline departure was Rick Stansbury, the former coach at Mississippi State and Western Kentucky who was with the Tigers for the 2023-24 season as Hardaway's lead assistant. The others not returning are assistants Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser and special advisor Demetrius Dyson.


www.cbssports.com

Memphis basketball staff upheaval under Penny Hardaway continues with four departures at 'not ideal' timing

The Tigers are undergoing a significant staff reorganization just two months from opening night
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
 
bundabergdevil said:
CBSSports has this:


The headline departure was Rick Stansbury, the former coach at Mississippi State and Western Kentucky who was with the Tigers for the 2023-24 season as Hardaway's lead assistant. The others not returning are assistants Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser and special advisor Demetrius Dyson.


www.cbssports.com

Memphis basketball staff upheaval under Penny Hardaway continues with four departures at 'not ideal' timing

The Tigers are undergoing a significant staff reorganization just two months from opening night
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
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Nolan or no Nolan, that Memphis program just seems super unstable under Hardaway. Can’t see him lasting a whole lot longer.
 
I think Nolan Smith is still on his way in, but the hiring process is slow. Some relevant links and quotes:

www.on3.com

Penny Hardaway parts ways with Rick Stansbury, 3 other Memphis staffers

Penny Hardaway dismissed four Memphis staff members on Tuesday, including lead assistant coach Rick Stansbury, just two months before the season begins.
www.on3.com www.on3.com

Mike Davis, the former Indiana coach (2000-06) most recently at Detroit Mercy (2018-24), joined the staff as a consultant and could be promoted to a full-time assistant, along with former Memphis great Andre Turner. Former Duke and Louisville assistant Nolan Smith was set to join the staff this summer but the deal has yet to be finalized.
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www.cbssports.com

Memphis basketball staff upheaval under Penny Hardaway continues with four departures at 'not ideal' timing

The Tigers are undergoing a significant staff reorganization just two months from opening night
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

Former Indiana coach Mike Davis is among the incoming assistant hires for Hardaway, a source confirmed to CBS Sports. Davis was most recently the head coach at Detroit Mercy. Former Duke and Louisville assistant Nolan Smith has also been in talks with Hardaway about joining the Memphis staff, according to the Commercial Appeal.
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bluffcitymedia.co

Memphis basketball dismisses staffers Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser | Bluff City Media

Penny Hardaway's staff turnover continues, even in September. (Image Credit: Memphis Athletics)
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Hardaway has brought in plenty of new faces too, including Tigers legend Andre Turner as the director of player/alumni relations and former Indiana coach Mike Davis.

Davis is expected to fill one of Memphis’ assistant slots this season, and another will go to former Duke and Louisville assistant Nolan Smith once he is officially hired, according to sources.
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While looking into this, I saw a Jeff Goodman tweet from 2020 reflecting that Penny interviewed Nolan for an assistant coaching spot in 2020, but Nolan elected to remain at Duke (he was director of basketball ops at the time but would be promoted to assistant the next year). Makes sense that Penny would circle back around to him a few years later.

Some scuttlebutt on X, the Everything Site, that the firings clear the way for Nolan to join the staff as an assistant. This guy, apparently a sports reporter at a Louisville station, is saying that:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1831394655532994605
 
azzefkram said:
I am happy for Nolan, but this seems like a bush league move by Penny.
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I have to think folks on the staff saw this coming. The Nolan hire and Mike Davis were both being talked about for a while. Staff had to know someone was getting the boot.

But Penny being a bit of a jerk is not all that surprising either.
 
Here's Jeff Goodman and Memphis media member and Field of 68 Memphis host John Martin talking about the Penny staff changes. Somewhere in the middle they talk about Nolan, specifically.


I think this is a very risky move for Nolan. Penny's tenure has been tumultuous, these guys talk about potential sanctions looming, and the fact that the new AD, Tim Scott, comes in from UVA, takes a look around, and then all of this starts happening? Sounds like Penny doesn't empower or listen to his assistants. Goodman makes the point that if this goes poorly for Nolan, he might be out of high major hoops and have to build his way back up via mid majors. I guess landing on an NBA staff would also be a possibility. Anyway, I hope it works out for him.
 
Billy Dat said:
Here's Jeff Goodman and Memphis media member and Field of 68 Memphis host John Martin talking about the Penny staff changes. Somewhere in the middle they talk about Nolan, specifically.


I think this is a very risky move for Nolan. Penny's tenure has been tumultuous, these guys talk about potential sanctions looming, and the fact that the new AD, Tim Scott, comes in from UVA, takes a look around, and then all of this starts happening? Sounds like Penny doesn't empower or listen to his assistants. Goodman makes the point that if this goes poorly for Nolan, he might be out of high major hoops and have to build his way back up via mid majors. I guess landing on an NBA staff would also be a possibility. Anyway, I hope it works out for him.
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This seems like the type of thing you do for a year, until you get a better opening.
 
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