Nolan Smith is staying at Duke, turning down assistant coach job at Memphis
Nolan Smith is staying put at his alma mater.
After interviewing with Penny Hardaway for an assistant coaching job at Memphis, Smith decided to remain at Duke, where he works as the director of basketball operations and player development, a Duke spokesperson confirmed it to the News & Observer.
“We’re thrilled that Nolan is staying at Duke and look forward to seeing his career advance at his alma mater,” team spokesperson Mike DeGeorge said in a statement.
Smith, 32, has spent four years on staff for the Blue Devils and his former coach, Mike Krzyzewski. He joined the team in February 2016 as a special assistant before being promoted to his current role in March 2018.
In a text to The Daily Memphian’s Danielle Lerner on Thursday, Smith wrote: “I just spoke with Coach Penny, (and) I have decided to stay at Duke. Was an extremely tough decision as Penny is a great man and coach.”
The Duke men’s basketball Twitter account reacted to the news, too, posting an uncaptioned GIF of Krzyzewski and Smith hugging after a game against Florida State. Former NBA All Star Hardaway was looking to fill out his staff with a third assistant after Mike Miller left in June.
Smith’s decision and the team’s statement both indicate a larger role for the former star guard down the line. Alongside Krzyzewski and Smith, Duke’s coaching staff includes associate head coaches Nate James and Jon Scheyer and assistant coach Chris Carrawell. They, too, are all former players for Krzyzewski, 73, who’s entering his 41st season at Duke.
Duke’s last coaching shakeup came in March 2018. After then-associate head coach Jeff Capel took the Pittsburgh job, Krzyzewski and the program promoted Scheyer and James from assistant coaches to associate head coaches, promoted Smith from a special assistant to his current role and hired Carrawell from Marquette.
As a point guard under Krzyzewski, Smith earned consensus first-team All-America honors and was named 2011 ACC Player of the Year as a senior. He also started and played a key role on the 2010 Blue Devils, who beat Butler to win the school’s fourth NCAA championship.
According to Smith’s bio, his current roles as director of basketball operations and player development include overseeing the student manager program and creating/implementing the team’s daily calendar and practice schedule. He also coordinates team meals and travel.
This summer, Smith has also taken an active role in racial injustice protests on and around campus. In June, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Smith helped organize a march and met with Durham city and county leaders to discuss solutions to systemic racism.
And on Aug. 27, 500 people, including athletes, attended a peaceful protest Smith organized in Krzyzewskiville after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 8:34 AM.