Louisville Basketball: Top 15 players to ever play for legend coach Denny Crum
By Joey Loose
6. Milt Wagner
Wagner was a talented guard who starred at the high school level in Camden, New Jersey, playing at the same school as fellow Louisville star Billy Thompson back in the early 80’s. Wagner got on campus in 1981 and spent five seasons in Louisville, missing most of his fourth year with an injury before really putting everything together in 1986.
After decent contributions as a freshman reserve, Wagner was a full-time starter in the backcourt for the rest of his career. He was a First-Team All-Metro player in both 1984 and 1986 and averaged more than 15 points and 3.5 assists per game in those final four seasons, including his injury-impacted year. He played a role in Louisville’s trips to the Final Four early in his career, including a 24-point effort in their loss to Houston in 1983. His collegiate career ended by cutting down the nets in 1986, a run that included a 22-point, 11-assist outing against LSU in the Final Four.
His heyday was over by the time I came of age, but Denny Crum is the reason I and so many others who grew up in Louisville fell in love with college basketball. I don't think there's a more underrated great/title-winning coach in college basketball history
— Craig Meyer (@ByCraigMeyer) May 9, 2023
A second-round draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks, Wagner only played very briefly in the NBA, though he did earn another title ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988. Most of a 13-year professional career came overseas or away from the NBA. Wagner was also a coach for more than a decade, spending time on John Calipari’s staff at Memphis and under Tony Barbee at two different schools. Wagner still sits 3rd all-time in field goals, 6th in point, and 9th in assists among Louisville’s long and successful basketball history.