Former Louisville Guard Donovan Mitchell Voices Support for Kenny Payne
Editor's note: You can view Louisville Report's full interview with Donovan Mitchell in the media player at the top of the article.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - To say that the Louisville men's basketball program has had a rocky start to the Kenny Payne era would be a bit of an understatement.
Currently sporting a record of 4-24, the Cardinals have already long set their single-season record for most losses, and there's still three regular season games left. With a KenPom ranking of 272nd, they are currently the worst team in Power Six (Power Five + Big East) basketball. That ranking got as low as 305th just a couple weeks ago, which would have set a new record for worst Power Five team in the KenPom era (Utah's 2011-12 team finished 302nd).
Louisville's season has elicited two major schools of thought from fans regarding their first year head coach: one that believes that Payne is not the right man for the job, and another that believes that he deserves time to continue to build for future considering the hand he was dealt. Of course, there is another viewpoint firmly in the middle, but the most vocal in the Cardinals fanbase have firmly planted their flag in either camp.
Former Louisville guard and current Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Donovan Mitchell is one that falls in the latter school of thought.
"I'm behind Kenny Payne 110 percent," Mitchell told Louisville Report on Friday following the Cavaliers' matchup with the Atlanta Hawks. "He's doing the right thing to try and get guys to come in, and it's not easy after what we've been going through the past three or four years. He'll right the ship, and things will turn around. I think the biggest thing just being patient. Rome wasn't built in a day."
The All-Star shooting guard does acknowledge that Louisville - a program with three national championships and 10 Final Fours - has a lofty standards, and that fans have a right to be upset that the program is not anywhere close to meeting that standard.
But in the same breath, the program wasn't exactly on stable ground when Payne inherited it. Louisville's infractions case with the NCAA/IARP, one that had been ongoing since late 2017 and had been hanging over the program like a dark cloud, was only just resolved (with minimal punishments for the Cardinals) just before the start of the current season. The case, while it was still ongoing, heavily impacted who Louisville was able bring in via the recruiting trail.
"You hear the word 'investigation,' it scares kids away," Mitchell said.
On top of that, Louisville has gone through multiple coaches since Mitchell departed college and drafted by the Utah Jazz in 2017. Rick Pitino was fired before the 2017-18 season with David Padgett serving as the interim that year, and Chris Mack then spent the next four seasons at Louisville before mutually parting ways with the university. Even during Mack's final year, the 2021-22 season, Mike Pegues coached roughly half the games as either an acting or interim head coach.
Even with the incredibly high standard that Louisville holds itself too, Mitchell thinks it was near impossible for Payne to have that sort of success right out of the gates.
"There's so many things you can attribute it to," he said. "We have a program where we're accustomed to winning at a high level. When that's not the case, the fanbase gets angry, and rightfully so. ... The biggest thing for us former players looking at it, is understanding this stuff takes time. It's not always gonna just click. We've been going through a lot. Through the investigation, through different coaches, through so many different things."
Mitchell hasn't been one to shy away from his support of Payne. After Louisville's 75-53 loss at Florida State, which marked the Cardinals' ninth in a row, many fans on social media began to criticize Payne for his sideline demeanor - namely his friendly nature toward both his own players in huddles and opposing coaches in postgame handshake lines. Mitchell was quick to call out the nitpicking, and defended Payne.
"Yelling at kids every damn time isn’t the answer…" he posted on Twitter. "just because we see a clip of him smiling and laughing trying to encourage his players as opposed to yelling at them (which he has done plenty of times) doesn’t mean he’s not trying to coach… negativity isn’t always the answer."
Part of that is because of how close he is to both Payne and some of the players. Mitchell says that he regularly talks to guard El Ellis and forward Jae'Lyn Withers, and has given them his own advice on how to handle the incredible amount of adversity this season has presented.
"The biggest thing is just keep pushing. Keep going," he said. "Like I said, it's not the ideal record, it's not the ideal situation. These moments, it's really about character and showing who you are. These guys fight, and I think the biggest thing is to continue to fight. ... It's not always going to be easy. Continue to be persistent, don't let outside noise effect what you guys do on a day-to-day basis, and just continue to plug away."
Another reason why he is so adamant in his support for Payne is because he's seen what goes on behind closed doors. Of course, being one of the best basketball players in the world, on a team that has a legitimate chance to contend for the NBA's Eastern Conference - if not more - he hasn't been around as much as guys like Darrell Griffith and Peyton Siva has.
That being said, he has been to a handful of practices. Like every other players who has every played under Payne, as well as the few who have witnessed firsthand how Payne conducts his practices, Mitchell can confirm that practice sessions are far from a walk in the park. He also can attest that Louisville's players aren't resisting this style by Payne, even if the results in the win/loss column might not necessarily reflect it.
"I've been there for practices, I know how hard they're being worked," he said. "I know it's not like they're just showing up and playing. Sometimes it just doesn't turn into wins. As a former player, as a guy in the league who's seen it, who's been around the guys, who comes around just to see what the work ethic's like, they put the time in. They put the effort in. Sometimes it doesn't just always go the way you want it to go."
However long it may take for Payne to get Louisville back to national relevancy, Mitchell is going to be behind him all the way.
"It just takes time," he said. "I'm gonna continue to speak out, continue to show my support and my love. It's never going to stop. Whether they're 0-35 or 35-0, I'm going to continue to be there, because I understand that, as a player, it's not easy. ... Sometimes you gotta get your ass kicked to get up and continue to move on."
(Photo of Donovan Mitchell: Brett Davis - USA TODAY Sports)
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