Louisville hires Milt Wagner, former Cardinals star and grandfather of nation's No. 1 recruit, as director of player development

Louisville has hired Milt Wagner, former Cardinals star and the grandfather of the No. 1 recruit in the country, as the program's director of player development.

Wagner will reportedly also be involved in an alumni relations role, according to Louisville's Rivals.com affiliate.

He is the grandfather of No. 1 rising senior D.J. Wagner, who is currently uncommitted but is the subject of an intense recruiting battle between Louisville and Kentucky. Kentucky coach John Calipari coached D.J. Wagner's father, DaJuan Wagner, at Memphis, while new Louisville coach Kenny Payne played with Milt Wagner on Louisville's 1986 national championship team.

Calipari also hired Milt Wagner at Memphis in 2000, which led to Wagner signing with the Tigers.

«My dad went to Louisville. Kenny, that's my uncle,» DaJuan Wagner said last month at a Nike EYBL event in Indianapolis. «It shouldn't take Kenny to get a job for my dad to be working for the university. He did a lot for that university… I love Cal. That was my coach. It's going to be D.J.'s decision. I'll be happy regardless.»

«My dad loves Louisville,» Wagner added. «And D.J. loves Louisville, too, because that's where his grandpa went.

»Cal, that's family. D.J.'s been coming to his camps since he was 5, 6 years old. I'd take him to the father-son camp and all that stuff. But Cal knows the relationship with Kenny. Kenny was there when we were going to the camps."

D.J. Wagner, who plays at Camden High School (New Jersey), said last month that Arkansas, Syracuse, Seton Hall are also involved but acknowledged the rivalry between the two intrastate programs.

«Just the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, I feel like that's crazy. I'm still open to every college right now, I'm just enjoying the