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Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Tad Boyle is adding a college basketball legend to his staff.
As if there wasn’t enough nostalgia in their return to the Big 12, the Colorado Buffaloes will have a rekindling of old friends.
Head coach Tad Boyle has found his new assistant coach. It’s his former Kansas teammate, Danny Manning, an NCAA Champion, Naismith Player of the Year, NBA All-Star and college basketball head coach.
Manning will replace Rick Ray, the former assistant who joined Mark Byington’s staff at Vanderbilt after four seasons in Boulder. Ray was a valuable member of the staff, but Manning appears to be an upgrade.
Manning was previously a head coach for Tulsa and Wake Forest, respectively. His teams at Tulsa overperformed expectations and even appeared in the NCAA Tournament, although his Demon Deacons struggled despite having NBA-level talent.
He was dismissed from Wake Forest in 2020, then spent the next few years with Team USA, Maryland and Louisville. Both the Terps and the Cards were bad while he was there, but that was with a burnt out Mark Turgeon and an overwhelmed Kenny Payne leading those teams into the abyss.
Manning isn’t the best X’s and O’s coach, but that won’t be his job at Colorado. He’s a great recruiter and a good role model and locker room presence for the players he helps bring in.
It also helps that Tad has known him for decades and has worked with him for years on Team USA. He knows what kind of value he will bring to the Colorado basketball program.
by Sam Metivier
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