'Passing the Eye Test' Serving as Kenny Payne's Barometer for Success in Year Two at Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - When Kenny Payne took over as the head coach of the Louisville men's basketball program last year, his expectations and goals for his first year at the helm wasn't to reach a certain amount of wins. For him, it was to lay the foundation of what he called a "championship culture," and set the Cardinals up for future success later on down the line.

Heading into year two of his tenure at Louisville, Payne's barometer for success for this upcoming season still isn't a certain win mark, but it has evolved following an incredibly poor showing from his team in year one.

Speaking at the annual Louisville Men's Basketball Tip-Off Luncheon and with the media afterwards on Monday, Payne says his main metric for a successful season this time around is "passing the eye test."

"I want this group to show, not through words, but through actions, the eye test," Payne said. "I want you guys to be able to look at this team and say, 'Wow, they play hard. They play together. They talk to each other. You can tell they have a different chemistry. There's a competitive spirit about these guys. The talent level is better. The character of the team is better. This is a totally different team.' For me personally, as the head coach here, it is the first step in many of rebuilding this program."

Of course, as many know by now, last year's Louisville squad did anything but pass the eye test. Bad body language, disjointed execution on both ends of the floor and a perceived lack of effort plagued most of, it not all, the players during the 2022-23 season. They were among several factors that led to Louisville having the worst season in the history of the program, going just 4-28 to the program record for most losses in a single season by a wide margin.

Almost as soon as the season ended, the roster upheaval began. Seven players would eventually enter the transfer portal, with only Mike James, J.J. Traynor, Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Emmanuel Okorafor being the scholarship returners. Hercy Miller is also back, but has been reverted to a walk-on.

On the other side of that coin, Payne and his staff also did a good job of bringing in new talent for year two. The plethora of fresh faces include D1 transfers Skyy Clark, Tre White and Danilo Jovanovich; 2023 prospects Dennis Evans, Kaleb Glenn, Curtis Williams Jr. and Ty-Laur Johnson; plus JUCO transfer Koron Davis. Their high school recruiting class comes in at No. 8 nationally according the Rivals, while their transfer class is 29th according to 247Sports.

When put altogether, this produces a team that, on paper, should be much more talented than it was last season. With Louisville's annual Red and White Scrimmage taking place later this week, this team's first eye test will be here sooner rather than later.

Of course, Payne has already had his own first eye tests. The Cardinals are already two weeks into their preseason, having conducted their first official practice of the preseason back on Sept. 25. However, he's "not going to comment" on what he thinks of this team just yet. He wants fans to draw their own conclusions based on their own personal eye tests.

"You'll be the judge," he said. "For me, I see it, but I'm not going to comment on it. I'm not going to overhype them. I want the people that see them play for the first time, the second time throughout the season, for them to say, 'Wow, this is totally different. They are connected. They are one. They are fighting. They are competitive.' It doesn't mean they win every game, they're going to have highs and lows. But there's going to be, there should be, a connectedness with this group that jumps off at you after what we have, and what we went through last year."

Payne did add that "passing the eye test" won't be his lone measuring stick for success this season. He also added that he wants the team to maintain a "desperateness defensively" and "a connectedness and chemistry on offense." He believes the team-wide talent and versatility can help them achieve both.

"We have a collective group of guys that there's not a big jump from one to the other," he said. "They all are pretty good college players. So, the competition to get on the floor, it's going to be different. Not one person can handicap the team, not one person can say, 'If I don't play we're losing.' We can win with different styles, different guys on the court. If a guy decides to not play hard, not bring it, another guy will come in and take over for him. To me, that's more important."

The Red and White Scrimmage will tip-off on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m. EST from the KFC Yum! Center.

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter