Louisville Players Remaining Positive Despite 0-3 Start

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's safe to say that Kenny Payne's first three games as the head coach of the Louisville men's basketball program haven't gone the way many expected them to go.

The Cardinals hosted three of their five easiest opponents of the year to open up their 2022-23 campaign, and stunningly came up short in all three contests. They first lost to Bellarmine 67-66 in their season-opener, then fell 73-72 to Wright State on a buzzer-beater by Trey Calvin, and most recently had their own game-winner against Appalachian State waived off to fall 61-60.

From a historical context, their 0-3 start to the year is one of the worst in program history. It marks the first time since the 1986-87 season that the Cardinals lost their first three games of a season, and the first time since the 1940-41 season that they lost their first three home games.

Despite the unexpected start to the season and to Payne's tenure at Louisville, the players under his watch don't seem to be hitting the panic button just yet.

"I think as a team, we know we're right there. ... We all know we're three points combined from being 3-0. I think if we're 3-0, there's a lot of different feeling and different questions in this room," forwards Mike James said in a press conference Thursday. "As a team, we know we're right there. God makes things happen for a reason. I've been telling our team if we just stay down, continue to come to practice every day, to work hard and not drop our heads and not give up, I think things will turn around for us. When that happens, it'll be a good time."

A large reason that James and the rest of players have remained upbeat in the face of a winless start has been because Payne himself has not changed his tune. Instead getting belligerent in practice or in film study, the first year head coach of the Cardinals has kept the same positive demeanor that he had before games even started.

"He's one of the most positive guys I've ever been around," guard El Ellis said. "It doesn't matter (how bad it gets), he just wants us to play hard, honestly. That's all he cares about. He wants us to be successful as individuals and in life. So we're going out there and competing each and every day, we come into practice and we go hard, we're busting our tails. He's going to be happy with us regardless."

"I think one of the main reasons why our team is still together, and we know we're right there, is because of (Payne)," James added. "After every loss, his mood hasn't changed, he's been the same person, has been the same coach, been coaching us the same way. ... (The coaches) have been supportive of us, they've told to keep our heads up, and I think that's why our team is still together, still strong and ready to go."

Both Ellis and James have been brightest spots on this team, and are the Cardinals' top two leading scorers through the first three games. Ellis' 24.0 points per game is good for ninth in the nation, and his 72 points over that span are the most by a Cardinal over the first three games of a season since Wes Unseld in 1967. Meanwhile, James' 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game are coming off of a season that he missed entirely due to an Achilles injury.

Of course, Louisville is still 0-3, and according to Payne, their winless start has been largely due to the way the players have conducted themselves in practice. Following the Cardinals' most recent loss to App State, the first year head coach of the Cardinals spent a great deal of the post-game press conference criticizing his team's overall practice habits.

James says he "can see where he's coming from" in regards to Payne criticizing the way that the players have approached practice, while also adding that "we're a young team" and that "some players can respond differently." But in terms of flipping potential losses into potential wins, he agrees that the team as a whole does need to do a better job of getting ready.

"We just got to get prepared," he said. "We got to get prepared and practice, and then carry that over to the game. I think as soon as we win one, we'll know how good we are. I think we know how good we are now, we just got to put it all together, win a game and build our confidence. Just continue to grow and is build on that."

It certainly won't get any easier for Louisville as it pertains to their immediate future. Their next three games on the docket will be in the Maui Invitational, where the rest of the eight-team field is a combined 20-1. Their first test will come against ninth-ranked Arkansas, then they will immediately play either No. 10 Creighton or No. 23 Texas Tech the next day.

Of the four remaining teams they could face in game three, two of them - No. 14 Arizona and No. 17 San Diego State - are also ranked. Ohio State and Cincinnati round out the field.

However, Louisville's players believe that getting away for a bit could be the catalyst they need to start trending in the right direction. In fact, it happened just last season after Louisville looked less than impressive over their first four games, but then went on to dominate Mississippi State and Maryland to win the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.

"I think it's really good for us to get away, be able to bond as a team and play somewhere else," Ellis said. "Last year, we went to the Bahamas and we played really well. We bonded as a team. I feel like this could be our turn around as well. We just got to continue to keep our heads up, continuously believe that we're a really good team, and we'll be fine."

(Photo of El Ellis: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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