Manning returns to KU basketball program

Danny Manning, one of the greatest players in Kansas basketball history, is the new director of student-athlete development/team manager with the KU men's basketball program.

"We are all so excited to formally announce that Danny is going to be part of our basketball program," said head coach Bill Self. "Danny and I have had numerous discussions since my hiring in late April about various positions, including coaching positions. At this point in time, Danny is going to come back-not in a coaching capacity-but as a mentor and counselor to our student-athletes, and also to serve in a similar capacity to that of our team managers. This completes what I think to be an unbelievable staff, and it also allows Danny to be around our basketball program on a daily basis and determine in the future if he does want to pursue a career in coaching."

A Jayhawk legend, Manning is Kansas' all-time leading scorer and rebounder, racking up 2,951 points and 1,187 boards in his illustrious four-year career in Lawrence. Manning, the eighth all-time leading scorer in NCAA history, was named a consensus first-team All-America selection in 1987 and 1988, the consensus College Player of the Year in 1988 and he was a three-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1986, 1987 and 1988).

Manning was named the 1988 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player en route to leading the Jayhawks to an 83-79 victory over Oklahoma for the 1988 national championship-KU's most recent title. He was also named the MVP of the NCAA Midwest Regional in 1986 and 1987.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Manning recently concluded a 15-year pro career which saw him play for seven different teams-the Clippers, Hawks, Suns, Bucks, Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons. He boasts career averages of 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game over his NBA career, spanning 883 total games. He racked up career-highs of 43 points (vs. Chicago on Dec. 7, 1993), 18 rebounds (vs. Phoenix on Feb. 1, 1994) and 11 assists (vs. Utah on Nov. 21, 1994) while playing professionally. Manning was a two-time NBA All-Star (1993 and 1994) and won the league's Sixth Man Award in 1998.

"Needless to say, I'm excited to be back at the University of Kansas," Manning said. "The opportunity to come back and work at my alma mater was too good to pass up. I had a great experience at this university, and hopefully I can share some of my life experiences with the current players to help them become better people off the court and better players on the court. I'm also excited to learn from a great coach like Coach Self and his staff, and I'm really looking forward to working with those gentlemen."

The 37-year old Manning and his wife, Julie, live in Lawrence with their daughter, Taylor, and their son, Evan.