Two members of Kenny Payne's staff are taking on bigger roles with the Louisville men's basketball team this season.

The NCAA in January approved a modified personnel rule allowing men's and women's basketball teams to go from three to five on-court assistant coaches. Payne on Tuesday confirmed he filled those spots internally.

He chose Gabe Snider, director of analytics and video technology, and former U of L great Milt Wagner, director of player development and alumni relations. Their official titles will not change, team spokesperson Zach Greenwell told The Courier Journal, but Snider and Wagner now have on-court coaching responsibilities with Payne's new-look Cardinals as they try to bounce back from the worst season in modern program history.

The rule, which took effect July 1, forbids Snider and Wagner from engaging in off-campus recruiting. That task falls to Payne, associate head coach Danny Manning and assistants Josh Jamieson and Nolan Smith.

Payne brought Snider to Louisville after they worked together from 2020-22 on Tom Thibodeau's New York Knicks staff. Snider's official title in the Big Apple was assistant director of video, player development and analytics.

That was his third stop in the NBA; previously, the University of Illinois Chicago grad worked as a video coordinator intern with the Detroit Pistons and as an assistant video coordinator with the Milwaukee Bucks.

"He's a superstar," Payne said of Snider. "I watched him work every day; I watched him train players every day; I watched his knowledge of the game — his knowledge of offenses and defenses at the NBA level — and he was really, really good.

"I decided that, if I'm going to bring somebody with me, it's going to be a young guy like him who lives in the gym, lives in the film room, studies the game, has a great personality — a good person, (a) high-character person. So for me, that was a no-brainer to put him in there."

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Wagner, of course, helped lead the Cards to an NCAA championship in 1986, Payne's freshman season, and to Final Four appearances in 1982 and 1983. He ranks sixth in career scoring (1,834 points) and was inducted into the U of L Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

After his playing career came to an end in 1999, Wagner spent six years (2000-06) as John Calipari's coordinator of basketball operations at Memphis, four years (2006-10) as an assistant coach under Tony Barbee at UTEP and four years (2010-14) as an assistant under Barbee at Auburn.

Prior to joining Payne's staff in May 2022, Wagner was based in Louisville working in the private sector. The hire made headlines due to the Cards' pursuit of Wagner's grandson, 2023 recruit D.J. Wagner, but the top-flight combo guard ultimately chose to play for Calipari at Kentucky.

"I'm surrounding myself with not just people who I have had relationships with but (people) who are the best of the best," Payne said when he introduced Wagner as director of player development and alumni relations.

On Tuesday, Payne equated having Wagner involved in on-court coaching to hitting a "home run."

"He knows the game," Payne said. "(He's) my brother; he knows me — but also, he's qualified. He's qualified for the job, and I love having him with me every day."

Payne did not make any changes to his staff in the wake of a 4-28 season.

When asked after a 80-62 loss to Boston College at the ACC Tournament how he planned to evaluate his assistant coaches' performances in Year 1, he turned the question around and asked, "What is there to evaluate?"

"I have one of the best staffs in college basketball," Payne said. "I can tell you that they're unique individuals that have had so much success in this game. I can't believe you just asked that question, because you're looking at guys who have accomplished more in their life as players — forget coaching. Their experience in life is why I hired them. They are great coaches; and they gave these kids love every day.

"I asked them to love the young men. That's why I hired them," he added. "To adopt their dreams, that's why I hired them. Nothing else. They did their jobs. They did a great job. I love my staff."

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Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kenny Payne elevates two Louisville basketball staffers to assistants