Who Milt Wagner is and why he may be a key for Louisville Cardinals basketball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BVM) – The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team made a strong move in its goals for its upcoming recruiting cycle. On Tuesday, the Cardinals hired former basketball standout Milt Wagner as their director of player development.
“I’m so excited for this opportunity to have my brother Milt ‘Ice’ Wagner with me every day to help me build the championship culture I’m trying to establish,” Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne, who was a teammate of Wagner when the Cardinals won the 1986 NCAA Championship, said in a statement. “Milt is another great hire that comes with an NCAA championship and an NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers. I’m sure our Card fans will welcome home your own Ice Man in Milt.”
“It’s an honor for me to return to my alma mater and work alongside my brother Kenny Payne,” Wagner said. “Louisville is my second home and I’ve always wanted to return here to work with this historic program that I contributed my blood, sweat and tears for as a student-athlete. I’m thrilled to be here with a terrific staff and help this program achieve at the highest level.”
While this sort of news is nothing new in the world of college athletics, the relationship Wagner has in the Class of 2023 is what makes the news significant.
Milt just so happens to be the grandfather of the unanimous No. 1 Class of 2023 prospect D.J. Wagner, a five-star point guard from Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey. The Cardinals were considered one of the top teams in the mix for the 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard prior to the hiring anyway thanks to Milt’s connection not only to the campus, but also to Payne.
While the hiring may not have a major impact one way or the other and could’ve been in the works anyway given Milt and Payne’s previous relationship, the timing of the situation certainly cannot be ignored especially as the recruiting cycle pushes into high gear. The hiring also gives the Cardinals a bit of an advantage over in-state rival Kentucky, who are also considered among the frontrunners for the guards services.
Milt’s son and D.J.’s father Dajuan Wagner was a great player in his own right. Like his dad before him, Dajuan went on to play Division I basketball, joining the program at the University of Memphis where Milt worked as coordinator of basketball operations under then head coach John Calipari, who now is the head coach of the Wildcats.
Calipari coached Dajuan to becoming a 2002 NBA Draft lottery pick when he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the sixth overall pick. Given Calipari’s track record with getting players to the pros including Dajuan, Kentucky definitely has some perks the youngest Wagner could take advantage of. Also, the Wildcats do have another family connection as current Wildcat Kareem Watkins is D.J.’s half-brother.
Regardless of how the hiring may pay off for the Cardinals’ chances of landing D.J., the decision to bring in Milt is one that makes a lot of sense for the Louisville program anyway. Milt is a Louisville basketball legend ranking sixth all-time in scoring with 1,834 career points and being a starter on the Cards’ 1986 NCAA Championship team. During his time with the team, Milt helped Louisville reach the Final Four three times and the Sweet 16 during all four seasons he played. He is also a University of Louisville Athletics Hall of Famer and his No. 20 jersey hangs in the rafters at the KFC Yum! Center as one of the program’s honored jerseys.
Given Milt’s significance and place in Louisville basketball history, his hiring was going to make waves regardless. The fact that it could help the Cards to land one of the top recruits in the entire country in the Class of 2023 is just the cherry on top. Whether there will be one or two Wagners with the program over the next few seasons, expect Louisville to remain competitive in the college basketball field for years to come.
