By Jack White
University of Maryland men’s basketball head coach Mark Turgeon announced the hire of an accomplished new assistant coach Monday.
Former Wake Forest University and University of Tulsa head coach Danny Manning will join the team’s experienced coaching staff. Manning has an unprecedented resume for Maryland basketball. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, was the No. 1 overall selection in the 1988 NBA Draft and was an NCAA champion as a player and an assistant coach.
“Manning has seen it all in the game of basketball and will bring unparalleled experience to our program,” Turgeon said.
Turgeon and Manning have bonded over basketball since the 1980s when they met as teammates at the University of Kansas.
“I’m looking forward to reuniting with the coach. We have known each other for quite some time and been through a lot of battles together over the years,” Manning said. “I am excited to help build on the success he has had at Maryland.”
Manning adds valuable coaching experience to Turgeon’s staff, which also includes longtime assistant Bino Ranson.
“We need Danny coaching,” said Hall of Famer Larry Brown, who coached Turgeon and Manning during their stint at KU. “He’s pretty special in my mind.”
When Manning took a hiatus from coaching, he became an analyst at ESPN. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it helped the future NBA Hall of Famer realize that coaching runs through his blood.
“There is preparation for those broadcasts, and I enjoyed the time,” Manning said. “But when the game was over, there was no film to watch, no mistakes to correct.”
Earlier during the 2021 off-season, Maryland men’s basketball announced the signings of transfer guard Daron “Fatts” Russell from the University of Rhode Island, center Qudus Wahab from Georgetown University and guard Ian Martinez from University of Utah.
Maryland continues to trend upward as they strive to construct and grow into a championship-caliber program, which Manning saw as an attractive incentive to return to the game.
“I just missed it,” Manning said. “I missed the competition. I missed the camaraderie. I miss the interactions with the players, the general give-and-take you have in those situations where you’re helping a kid through something.”
Manning enters his 16th season of NCAA Division I coaching experience. With the potential departure of Maryland guards Eric Ayala and Darryl Morsell, Manning’s addition could be a key hire for Turgeon and the Terps.
Featured image: Danny Manning was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 1988. Now he will be an assistant Maryland men’s basketball coach spending time at the Xfinity Center. Photo by Jack White.