What Kenny Payne, Louisville Players Said After 94-83 Win vs. Western Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program is winless no more, as they captured a convincing 94-83 victory over Western Kentucky to snap a nine-game skid to open the season and win their first game in the Kenny Payne era.

Here's what head coach Kenny Payne, guard El Ellis, forward Jae'Lyn Withers and forward Sydney Curry had to say following the win:

Head Coach Kenny Payne

(Opening statement)

“First of all, we played and beat a very good team tonight. Western Kentucky, when I watched film, and saw the way they shot the ball, saw the impact of the big fella [Jamarion Sharp]… tough team, was very worried about them for the right reasons - they’re good. Love the way we played, loved the way we attacked, loved the way we finally played with toughness and energy and confidence. I just told the guys this, ‘What does it smell like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like?’ Because winning one, imagine what it’s like to win 80 or 90 percent of your games. You’ve got to sacrifice your life to it. This hopefully is a stepping stone that they greatly needed, because they put in a lot of work. But we have to build on this game and continue the momentum going and get over the schneid. They deserve it, they worked really hard, harder than I can tell you. They’re good kids, it’s all about them.”

(What did you see in El Ellis and the way he balanced scoring and involving other people)

“That’s what he has to do. El Ellis is a dynamic guard who can really score the ball and he’s learning that ‘I have to be a giver as well. If I want to be a great player, I want to make money at this game, if I want to be the player that I say that I am, I’ve got to be able to give and create shots for others as well as get my own.’ I thought he was great tonight. I was a little upset at him at the end of the game, because he would break open to get it in the press and then he would stop and stand. There is no tired, that’s why we do conditioning every day. Go get the ball and finish the game off. I’m proud of him, happy for him. It goes to show what hard work and dedication and having your doubts - you fight through them and he did that tonight – hats off to him.”

(What was it like to walk into your locker room with a smile on your face and the celebration that the guys had?)

“For me it was unbelievable. It’s all about them, nothing to do with me. It’s all about seeing their faces and I asked them to smell it, taste it. What does it feel like to finally win when people doubt you – who don’t know you – and they doubt you. But you’ve got to have self-control, self-confidence to know that if you pour it in, that you’ll get it out eventually. And hopefully, I’ll say this again, I hope that we don’t revert, because it took a lot to get to this point and win this game. It took a lot. More than I can even tell you guys.”

(Why do you think the energy got turned up a notch tonight?)

“We talked about, leading up to this game, whatever your insecurities are, they’re gone. Whatever your excuses are, it’s over. Let’s go win games. There are no excuses. Whatever happened in the past, even if it was in high school, even if it was when you were 10 years old, even if it was last year - that’s over. Let’s get over it and let’s start new. Let’s go prove to people that you belong. Let’s stop having teams come in here and walk out of here with confidence. Let’s understand where you are. We’re at Louisville. This is a place that traditionally has been one of the most fierce places to play, one of the most fierce teams to ever face consistently over the years. Respect that. Go out and know that you’re fighting for more than just yourself. It’s not about you, it’s about everybody else.”

(On the contributions from the entire team and on the play of JJ Traynor)

“I just thought JJ was really good, he played with energy, he fought. He played with energy. He played with confidence. He played with a swagger at times. We need that. Fabio [Basili] I thought brought us great energy to start the first half, got some baskets, attacked the lane like we needed him to and was able to create shots and got a couple of baskets out of it. Every person in the game contributed. I would like to have gotten more from Brandon [Huntley-Hatfield] and I think I told him that a couple of times, but I’m happy for those guys that they finally understood what it takes to win. When the first half was over, we talked about being 20 minutes away from winning your first game, don’t let it go. Don’t let them back in it. Don’t live with the regret. Fight all the way through and whatever happens happens. I’m proud of them.”

(This was Sydney Curry’s best game of the year, what was the turning point for him?)

“I wish I knew that answer, but I’m happy for him. As we all know he’s not in the type of shape that we need him in, but he played. Tonight he played with energy – we need more of that. It goes to show that he’s capable of having an impact in the game that we sorely need. He was physical, he was tough. Scored around the basket, rebounded balls. We need that from him.”

(On the team responding to early deficits and Western Kentucky scoring streaks tonight)

“I just thought they hung in there. We talked about it. We know that there is going to be adversity in the game and I just thought when it came and it happened, we didn’t let go of the rope. It didn’t go from eight to 15. We chipped away at it and we did it without one person saying ‘I’ve got to be the one to get the next basket.’ We did it trusting the process, trusting the offense, creating extra shots for each other and that’s what it takes to win – to just trust it.”

(On the energy of the crowd)

“First of all, I commend our fans because, whether it was a win or a loss, our team played with energy and they responded to that. They played with a fire and they responded to that. It was great to get the win, but I need these guys to understand that the fans at Louisville, they want to see a fire. They want to see energy. They want to see a fight, a determination. They are basketball people. It’s not just that you get to be casual and nonchalant and they’re going to clap for you. No, you’ve got to go out and fight. It was great to see. Great for our players too.”

(On going to the zone after not playing it much this year)

“One, I think we have to mix it up and we’ve played it a little bit in the past, but it gave us a way to put Jae’Lyn [Withers] on the floor with two fouls and that was vital. We didn’t know how they would respond, because they’ve got really good shooters, but it knocked then off rhythm a little bit and gave us some momentum.”

(After Western Kentucky cut the lead to 13 and Kamari [Lands] missed a tough shot, but the next trip down the floor hit a three. How big was it for him to be able to fight through mistakes)

“I’m very happy with the way Kamari played and you can thank Wade Houston for that. He’s been fighting for the kid for a while. But more important than the shots that he made, his energy on defense. He was active. He was in passing lanes. He played with a different energy than he’s been playing with. I need that. But I also need him to understand that you’re not going to get four and five dribbles in a two-yard radius to get a shot. You’ve got to play north-south. You’ve got to be ready to catch and shoot. If not, you are a shooter, use a shot fake and get them off balance. He played well.”

(What has Wade Houston been saying about Kamari Lands and how has he dealt with the ups and downs that come with being a freshman?)

“Kamari is one of those kids that don’t talk a lot and so ‘Pops’ as I call him, came to a couple of practices and watched him play and said, ‘I think he has the potential to give you something.’ And I said, ‘Pops, he’s not quite getting it yet.’ [Wade Houston said] ‘Just stick with him and keep working with him, I think he’s got a chance.’ And it goes to show you never give up on young people. You stick with them. And tonight, for him, was huge, because yeah, we’re going to make a big deal out of the shots he made, but his energy, his fight on defense – that’s what I’m really happy about. I know he can shoot balls, I need to be able to play with energy for himself and for this team.”

Guard El Ellis, forward Jae'Lyn Withers and forward Sydney Curry

(What was that like to get that one off your shoulders and to be in the locker room and Kenny came in just to describe some of the posting game feelings)

El Ellis: “It just felt so great to get that win. I told the guys this was going to be a game, and it was. I felt that in my soul. That crowd man it was amazing. To see that crowd like that and to be into it the way they were. Seeing my teammates, everybody played well, I'm so proud of my guys. Even though Jae’Lyn [Withers] got in foul trouble, he came back and was aggressive and that's what we needed. Sydney Curry what’s up bro, you back man? My dog is back man. I am so proud of my guys, Brandon [Huntley-Hatfield] played well, across the board, proud of these guys.”

(What did you guys do to Coach Payne after the game in the locker room and what does it mean to you to give him his first win considering some of the heat he's taken?)

Sydney Curry: “We threw a whole bunch of water on him when he first came in. It was good to get him his first win because puts his all into us and works hard every day so it was very important for us to get his first win.”

(What was different tonight in this game?)

Sydney Curry: “Just bring the energy and stay working. Just bring energy and keep working hard every night.”

(How did it feel to see these big, timely shots go through for you guys?)

El Ellis: “It felt really good just to see my guys hit shots. We put so much time and put so much work in and like I told the guys, just be ready to shoot and I am going to find you, and they were (ready). I’m proud of them and everybody who stepped up.”

(You're the leading scorer on the team and you also run the offense, what was working tonight?)

El Ellis: “Knowing when to score and when to get my teammates involved, that's been something I've been working on every game. Trying to be aggressive when I can, but just knowing I have really good teammates around me and I need to find those guys. So that's been something I've been working on each and every night.”

(So many times this season when the other team responded or went on a run, that was a lot of times when this team would break, what was different tonight?)

Jae'Lyn Withers: “I’d say collectively from the first person to the 14th person, I would say we were all focused and locked in. The intensity started after the tech that I got, and we maintained it throughout the entire game.”

(Did you feel like the energy was higher tonight and if it was, why so?)

Jae'Lyn Withers: “Yeah, I would say the urgency was a lot higher. Not only because it's an in-state team that we just play, which they got us last year and with us returning we wanted to get back. But also to simplify it, we needed one bad, we needed to see one win. This is good for our confidence and we can build on top of this.”

(Was tonight something that needed to happen in a game or was this something you could feel building in practice?)

Sydney Curry: “We had nice practices leading up to this, working hard in practice. Practice leading up to this put us in a good spot to win the game and our energy in practices.”

(Did Kenny Payne talk to you guys about continuing on the path that got you then win tonight?)

Jae'Lyn Withers: “Sacrifice is one word that he still uses, even after the win. We've sacrificed our bodies and our minds to prepare for a night like this. We have to keep sacrificing in order to maintain these wins or maintain the level of play that we had.”

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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