WASHINGTON — Maryland men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon has hired College Basketball Hall of Famer Danny Manning as an assistant coach.
Turgeon and Manning will start their first year working together as coaches but their friendship goes back for years. They first met when Turgeon was 18 years old and became teammates at Kansas.
"My father always told me you want to work for people that you enjoy being around, that you trust, and that you are friends with because sometimes you're going to be around the people you work with more than your family," said Manning.
Turgeon played for KU from 1983-87 under head coach Larry Brown. Manning, a teammate of Turgeon from 1984-87, continued on one more year, leading the Jayhawks to a national title in 1988.
"I'm thrilled to add Danny to our coaching staff," Turgeon said. "I've known Danny for a long time going back to our days as teammates at Kansas and I cannot say enough about him as a coach and as a human being. He has seen it all in the game of basketball and will bring unparalleled experience to our program."
Turgeon added that Manning has a strong recruiting connection in the DMV. Manning also noted that he's very comfortable with the DMV area and recruiting in the area.
"Danny has recruited this area hard for quite some time. He's very well connected in this area and feels really comfortable recruiting in this area," said Turgeon. "He has history recruiting in the DMV region and has many ties locally, as well as nationally. I am excited for him to get to College Park and meet the tremendous guys in our locker room."
Manning's 11 seasons playing in the NBA could help guide top recruits to the next level.
"I want to help our young people grow on and off the court," said Manning. Manning, who has coached 15 NBA draft picks, including 10 first-round selections and nine current NBA players.