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Louisville to Fire Coach Kenny Payne After Two Seasons, per Report

The Cardinals reportedly will be looking to shake things up.

Tom Dierberger

Louisville to Fire Coach Kenny Payne After Two Seasons, per Report
Louisville to Fire Coach Kenny Payne After Two Seasons, per Report /
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The Louisville Cardinals reportedly will be looking for a new men’s basketball head coach this offseason.

Louisville plans to fire coach Kenny Payne in the next 24 hours, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Tuesday night. Payne has yet to speak with Louisville athletic director Josh Heird after the Cardinals’ season ended with a 94–85 loss to the N.C. State Wolfpack on Tuesday in the ACC tournament.

Payne, who was hired in March 2022, tallied a 12–51 record over two seasons at the helm. The Cardinals struggled to a 4–28 record last season, which is the worst mark in modern program history. They finished last in the ACC again this year, going 8–24 and 3–17 in conference play.

Payne played four seasons in college for the Cardinals from 1985 to ‘89 and won a national championship in ‘86. He played four seasons in the NBA and began his coaching career in 2004 at Oregon.

Louisville has made just one NCAA tournament appearance since firing Rick Pitino in 2017.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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