Former NBA Coach David Blatt and Ex-Kansas Guard Evan Manning join Arizona basketball in advisory roles

The former Cleveland Cavaliers coach, David Blatt, and Evan Manning, a former Jayhawks player, are joining the Arizona Wildcats. While both won't be joining in as head coach and assistant coach, the two will take up advisory roles. Blatt has had quite some experience in coaching, as he directed the LeBron James-led Cavs to the 2015 NBA Finals in his first year as the head coach.

Evan Manning, on the other hand, made an Elite Eight run with the Jayhawks following which he joined as an assistant coach at Wake Forest. For the 2022-23 season, Manning served as an assistant in the Army. Whereas his father, former NBA player, Danny Manning, continues to coach the Demon Deacons.

Atlanta Hawks v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four

Blatt will be coming in as a professional consultant for Arizona. He is currently serving as a consultant for the Canadian National team, as they are competing in the FIBA World Cup. He is also a member of the managing committee of Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli professional club.

David Blatt will accompany Tommy Lloyd, who has been coaching the Wildcats for the past two seasons. The Wildcats made a Sweet Sixteen appearance in his first year as the head coach, followed by another tournament appearance.

David Blatt had a lot of success in just one season in the NBA

To lead a team to the Finals in the first year is truly a remarkable achievement. Given that the Cavs had its leader, King James back, Blatt played a huge role in gluing the chemistry between a young Kyrie Irving and James. The Cavs met the Warriors in the Finals, who were coached by Steve Kerr, who also happened to make the Finals appearance in his first season as head coach.

Though they couldn't win it all, for someone who came from coaching in the EuroLeague and was the EuroLeague Coach of the Year, Blatt's success was highly celebrated. His first season in the NBA also included an Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award.

Later in the 2015-16 season, the Cavs fired David Blatt with reports citing his disagreement with King James as the reason behind it. He returned to Europe to coach another professional team for three years before he retired from the role. Blatt was hired by the Knicks as a consultant in 2019. Considering he's been in a similar role for a few years, David Blatt would fit well within the UA's staff.

The Wildcats have released their schedule for the 2023-24 season, as they'll face the Blue Devils on November 10 to tip off the upcoming season.