Louisville hires Milt Wagner, grandfather of top 2023 recruit

Louisville has hired former Cardinals star Milt Wagner as its new director of player development and alumni relations, the program announced Tuesday.

The 59-year-old is the grandfather of D.J. Wagner, who is the consensus top-ranked recruit in the class of 2023 and the son of former NBAer Dajuan Wagner.

"It's an honor for me to return to my alma mater and work alongside my brother, (new head coach) Kenny Payne," Milt said in a statement. "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."

Louisville and Kentucky are among the schools vying for D.J.'s services, and both have ties to the Wagner family.

Milt was a two-time All-Metro Conference first-team selection and sits sixth on the Cardinals' all-time scoring list. He and Payne were also on the school's 1986 NCAA championship team.

Meanwhile, Wildcats bench boss John Calipari coached Dajuan during his lone collegiate campaign at Memphis.