Louisville Officially Fires Head Coach Kenny Payne
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Kenny Payne era of the Louisville men's basketball program has officially come to an end.
Athletic director Josh Heird announced Wednesday that the University of Louisville informed Payne that "he will not return next season as men's basketball head coach." A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately, per Louisville.
"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," 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. On behalf of myself and everyone involved with our men's basketball program, I want to thank Kenny for his dedication to UofL. I wish him and his family the very best in their future."
Payne took over the program after UofL and former head coach Chris Mack reached a separation agreement in January of 2022. Payne's hiring was lauded at both a local and national level, and it was widely believed that he would elevate the Cardinals back to their former glory.
However, Payne's tenure at Louisville has been nothing short of an abject disaster. The second-year head coach, who had previously never been a head coach at any level, finishes with just a 12-52 record at his alma mater. This includes 5-35 in regular season ACC games, 1-28 in road/neutral site games and 0-19 in Quad 1 NET games.
His .186 winning percentage ranks as the fourth-worst amongst the Cardinals' 23 all-time head coaches (interim, acting or permanent), and second-to-last among the 14 who coached multiple seasons (Lawrence Apitz: .161 from 1937 to 1940).
In his first year at the helm last season, the Cardinals were one of the worst teams in high major basketball, getting blown out on a near-nightly basis and regularly setting new program records for overall futility. They finished just 4-28 overall and 2-18 in ACC play, more than surpassing the program's previous record for most losses in a single season of 20 from the 1997-98 season. UofL finished the 2022-23 season at No. 290 out of 362 Division I teams by KenPom, dipping as low as 305th.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, there was some hope that Louisville could experience a bounce back. Over the offseason, the Cardinals were able to flip the roster, bringing in No. 6 high school recruiting class and the No. 29 transfer portal class per 247Sports, and were able to avoid major punishment in their ongoing NCAA/IARP infractions case.
However, year two under Payne was also plagued by consistent failure. Louisville finished with an 8-24 overall record this past season to clinch back-to-back 20-loss seasons for the first time in program history. They struggled to put away teams in their weak non-conference schedule (309th in D1), and once again clinched dead last in the ACC after going 3-17 in league play. They dipped as low at 221st in KenPom before finishing at 198th.
Despite the Laurel, Miss. native having no prior head coaching experience, his prowess as a recruiter while an assistant with the University of Kentucky warranted a shot as a head coach with Louisville. But despite bringing in talent for the current team, the Cardinals' efforts out on the recruiting trail as of late have been sputtering. Louisville currently has just one verbal commitment in the Class of 2024, are the lone power conference team without a signee, and have whiffed on numerous targets in the cycle.
Payne was a four-year player for the Cardinals from 1985 to 1989, helping Louisville win a national championship in 1986. Prior to being hired by UofL in March of 2022, he had been an assistant coach with the NBA's New York Knicks for two seasons, and an assistant at Kentucky for a decade. While in Lexington, he made a name for himself as one of the top assistants in college basketball.
(Photo of Kenny Payne: Sam Upshaw Jr. - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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