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After another abysmal season at Louisville (8-24 overall), reports from ESPN's Pete Thamel suggest that coach Kenny Payne will be fired from his position. The Cardinals wrapped their season with a 94-85 upset to NC State, their eighth consecutive loss.
Louisville's 2022-23 season was not better as it finished with a 4-28 record, the worst record in modern times for any team of the school. Coach Payne is reportedly yet to talk with athletic director Josh Heird.
The Cardinals signed Payne in March 2022 on a six-year contract, after their previous run with Chris Mack did not bring the result they had expected. As one of the best basketball recruits in the country, the coach was expected to bring in the best talent to Louisville. However, the Cardinals alum ran into problems from the start.
Payne hired Milt Wagner, former Louisville star and the grandfather of then-No. 1 recruit D.J. Wagner, as the program's director of player development and alumni relations. However, that didn't work in his favor as Wagner committed to Kentucky. only to watch as Wagner committed to Kentucky.
Kenny Payne also missed his other top targets like Aaron Bradshaw (Kentucky) and Mackenzie Mgbak (Indiana) of the 2023 class. With his removal looming in the air, Louisville is expected to owe Payne around $8 million in buyout.
Did Kenny Payne play in the NBA?
After a successful college career, Kenny Payne was drafted into the NBA as the No. 19 pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1989. In his four seasons with the team, Payne averaged 3.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.3 steals per game. He was waived by the Sixers in 1993 for failing to meet expectations.
Payne's performance in the NBA was in stark contrast to his time with the Louisville Cardinals. In his junior year, Kenny Payne averaged 10.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He registered 14.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his senior year.
After being dropped by Philly, Kenny Payne played overseas in Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, Cyprus, China, Argentina and Australia. In 2004, he joined the Oregon Ducks as an assistant coach and later to Kentucky before going back to the NBA as the assistant to Tom Thibodeau with the New York Knicks.
When asked by the media about whether he deserved another year at Louisville, Payne said:
"I gave a specific time. I said three or four years. And I'm good with that. That's what I believed at that time, and that's what I still believe it takes to fix this program." [via ESPN]
"With guys like this, you have a foundation. Brandon [Huntley-]Hatfield, Mike James, JJ Traynor, the young guys we have, we have a foundation. Whether I'm the coach or not, I can look in the mirror and say I gave it everything I had to help this program."
Also Read: Louisville basketball coaching candidates: 5 Kenny Payne replacements if HC gets fired in 2024
Do you think Kenny Payne should be fired? Or does he deserve another year? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
