When he hit the road as a first-time Louisville basketball recruiter, Nolan Smith could sense something.

At the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League stop in Orlando last weekend, Smith — the first assistant hired to new Cardinals coach Kenny Payne’s first staff — got the kind of glad-handing you’d expect for a fresh face heading to his hometown.

But there was something more.

"I felt a lot of fear (from) opposing schools,” Smith said, drawing laughter Monday at his introductory news conference. “I’m serious. It felt great. A lot of people saying, ‘Congratulations, we’re happy for you, you and KP are gonna kill it.’ But just walking past kids and you hear them say, ‘That’s Louisville.’ Something about it that when Kenny Payne was hired and then when I was hired, it just felt (like) a different feeling about this (Cardinal) logo. This weekend I really felt that.”

Maybe it’s premature to say other programs are quaking.

But it’s a safe bet they’re taking notice.

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In Smith, Payne hired an assistant coach with deep ties to Louisville — his late father, Derek, was a star at the school and a member of its 1980 NCAA title team — and a budding rep as a recruiter from his days at Duke.

It’s a potentially potent pairing with Payne, who as an assistant coach at Kentucky was known as one of the top recruiters in the nation. Despite limited experience, the 33-year-old Smith already is developing notoriety for an ability to build relationships that mirrors Payne’s.

“I think they’re gonna be a heck of a 1-2 punch,” said Travis Branham, national basketball analyst at 247Sports. “I think the two of them know how to connect with current players. They know what they go through, and they have the personalities that are gonna attract players to want to play for them.”

If you believe the Cardinals’ coaches, the buzz already is building.

While Smith was evaluating talent at the EYBL event in Orlando, Payne was in Indianapolis for the Adidas 3 Stripes Select Basketball tournament. He saw signs of “respect,” he said, from players and AAU coaches.

“A lot of coaches talked about the (Smith) hire and how good they think we’ll be,” Payne said. “So it was gratifying.”

Payne has been well-known for years for his ability to connect with players, coaches and families. It was his calling card at Kentucky, where he helped John Calipari land elite recruiting classes and stayed connected with those players as they moved on to the NBA.

In 2020, Payne followed suit, joining the New York Knicks staff as an assistant. There’s no expectation he’ll deal with recruiting rust.

“His ability to develop relationships with players is second to none,” Branham said. “We saw it at Kentucky and we saw it with the Knicks. He’s had zero trouble in the relationship department in developing really tight bonds with these guys. That’s gonna make them very, very successful on the recruiting trail. Nolan coming on only adds to that, in my opinion.”

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Smith has the more buoyant personality. He has “that big smile,” Branham said, and a comfort connecting with groups of any size. Payne, Branham said, forges his deepest connections in on-on-one conversations.

Though there are some similarities, Smith is a relative newcomer to the circuit; Payne has worked it for years.

Kentucky’s recruiting classes were ranked first or second nationally by 247Sports all 10 years Payne was an assistant there.

Smith — who was promoted to Duke assistant coach last April after serving in administrative staff roles since 2016 — helped the Blue Devils land the top-rated class in 2022. Its 2023 class also ranks first as of this week. He's listed by 247Sports as the lead recruiter on two five-star prospects, 2022 signee Dariq Whitehead and 2023 commit Caleb Foster.

So Payne and Smith have recruited at the highest level.

They intend to continue doing so.

Smith said Monday he plans to make “no change at all” in the caliber of player he’ll pursue at Louisville as compared to Duke.

“We’re gonna go after the best of the best,” Smith said. "We’re gonna give them our pitch, our recruiting spiel. These facilities are amazing. They get to play in the Yum Center. For me, it’s not gonna be hard at all. We’re gonna recruit with love, and they’re gonna feel that. The families, everybody’s gonna feel a part of this when we’re recruiting.

Smith expects a strong reception and said “I think it’s gonna happen quickly.”

Branham isn’t sure it’ll be immediate.

There’s still the matter of an NCAA ruling — via the Independent Accountability Resolution Process — on alleged rules violations by the U of L program. Louisville’s IARP hearing is scheduled for mid-June, sources confirmed to the Courier-Journal in February, and it will take longer for the case to be decided.

Punishment could include a postseason ban that might hinder the Cardinals’ early recruiting efforts the way it did with former coach Chris Mack and his staff, Branham said.

Still, Branham expects given time, Payne and Smith "can and will" pursue the same sort of players they did at Kentucky and Duke, respectively.

“It's definitely gonna be a real shift...," Branham said. "I think once all that’s finally behind the program, they’re absolutely going to be going after — and succeeding on the recruiting trail with — those same caliber talents."

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Nolan Smith, Kenny Payne level up Louisville basketball recruiting