By SAM LANCE
After two seasons in which Kenny Payne won just 12 games, the Louisville saga is over. The school announced the decision to move on from Payne on Wednesday morning, one day after multiple reports said Payne was out.
“Kenny has given a great deal to this university over a span of nearly 40 years, and he will always be a valued member of our Louisville family,” Director of Athletics Josh Heird said in a statement. “When we brought Kenny home in 2022, no one had a stronger belief than me in his potential success, but it’s become clear that a change is needed to help this program achieve what is expected and attainable. While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this is the right one for our program.”
Per USA Today, Payne is set to make $3.5 million this season with a buyout that drops to $6 million on April. 1. Payne’s buyout now is reportedly $8 million.
“Whether I’m the coach or not,” Payne said during Tuesday night’s postgame news conference, “I can look in the mirror and say, ‘I gave it everything I had to help this program.'”
Jeff Goodman — who first reported Louisville would be letting go of Payne — says current Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May and current Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey could be among the Cardinals’ top options.
Payne came to Louisville with high hopes of turning the program around after it saw two different head coaches combine for a 92-61 record and just one NCAA Tournament appearance in the aftermath of the Rick Pitino firing in 2017. “I think today is a great day for the University of Louisville,” Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshar said in Payne’s introductory press conference in 2022. “My belief is that there are many better days ahead for this university, and that is because Kenny Payne is home. Kenny Payne is a man of integrity. He’s a great recruiter, a great developer of players, a great coach of the game, and he has over three decades of basketball experience. Kenny is also, most importantly, a great person. Kenny is going to bring stability to this program and he’s going to be a major part of this community. Rarely do you see a hire so good, even the rival coach says it was the right move.”Next Louisville coach odds per https://t.co/EfMmwnnWb5 pic.twitter.com/qBeBqRW7sP
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 13, 2024
However, things didn’t go exactly as planned. Payne will leave Louisville with a 12-51 overall record, 5-35 record in ACC play and zero postseason wins. Even though Kentucky head coach John Calipari has urged Louisville fans to have patience with Payne, it appears that patience has ran out. Payne came to Louisville after stints with the New York Knicks as an assistant coach from 2020-22 and the University of Kentucky as an assistant and associate head coach from 2010-2020. He began his career on Oregon’s staff from 2004-09. As a player, Payne helped Louisville reach back-to-back Sweet Sixteen’s in 1988 and 1989. Payne was one of two Cardinals to start all 33 games as a senior. He averaged 14.5 points per game and led the team in scoring eight times. After four years at Louisville, Payne went on to become the No. 19 pick in the 1989 NBA Draft. He spent four seasons in the NBA. Louisville’s 2023-24 campaign was ended on Tuesday after a 94-85 loss to NC State in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook‘Louisville is in a class by its own. They’ll be looking for a new coach’
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 13, 2024
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