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Kenny Payne won four games in his first season as Louisville’s head coach and is now 5-7 this season after a 19-point loss to Kentucky last week.
Attendance at Louisville games has dramatically decreased and some fans even wore bags over their heads at the Kentucky game. However, Louisville athletics director Josh Heird made it clear Payne will remain Louisville’s coach — a decision that Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy says was the right call for now.
“I don’t understand why (Louisville) fans don’t learn lessons from prior experience. Don’t you understand what has made you what you are? What happened the last time Louisville fired a coach in the middle of the year? It did not turn out well then and it would not now,” DeCourcy said.
Louisville fired then head coach Rick Pitino just before the 2017-18 season started — a decision Pitino later admitted was deserved because of his transgressions — and made David Padgett the interim coach. The Cards went 22-14 with Padgett in charge and then named Chris Mack head coach. However, Mack was suspended the first six games of the 2021-022 season and then fired in mid-January and Mike Pegues was named interim. That led to Payne being hired last season.
“Why do it again? There’s absolutely nothing to be gained by making a change now,” DeCourcy said. “Blowing up this again … the first time was a disaster and Louisville has never recovered. Why think doing it again would be a positive?
“I don’t think Kenny has done the job well. We knew they would not be good last year. Kenny did not demand commitment from his players. He was still starting over this year and I am not sure he has good enough players again.
“He is a good man. He is just not winning. But it would still be a terrible mistake to move on at this time of year.”
20 Responses
Kenny may be "too nice" to be a really good head coach. But then again, if he can get some good players, he may turn things around and be a formidable coach.
That’s what I said he is too nice !
Compared to Rick if ppl ever watch Rick coach he is yelling stomping and everything at his players .
No telling what he does off camera.
He won’t get better players… they know he can’t coach
Kenny was asked to do something he was not prepared to do. Fortunately, he will get more time just because UofL cannot afford to pay another buyout. Kenny is a great person put in a job he was not yet qualified to succeed. I can’t help but think there are other issues that we are not aware of that contributed to this terrible record. He will eventually head back to the pros and leave this chapter of his life behind. He will always be loved and appreciated by the BBN.
I am a HUGE Kenny Payne fan. I wish him all the success in the world. It looks like he may have been a good hire in name only(so far that is). Livinging in Louisville I hear a lot of talk. The word around town is that anything less than going 500 during conference play would spell the end for him. Losing a top recruit didn’t help this season as well(not talking about DJ he was never going to UL). Like I said I hope he can pull it off. But I know a few season ticket holders who have already given up(a few being more than 6). Hoping for the best. He is a good man and deserves it!
Coach Payne is doing an excellent job. He needs 5 years to turn this program around to a successful program.
Your r a Kentucky fan.. Bye
It seems that you 2 Ben fans think he is a good coach. Perhaps when Johnny quits, maybe he’ll get hired in Lexington.
For the writers information on this article Rick Pitino was fired by a UL BOD that our X ex governor Bevin put in place. It was a controlled effort by the UK people hand picked Bevin board. It was a travesty to make Jurich have to fire Pitino knowing he would not go through with it so Tom was let go as well . This started the downfall of our program and our coach and AD deserved much much better. In conclusion , Rick Pitino was cleared of all charges and Jurich only thing was he wouldn’t fire his coach and friend Rick Pitino. I was pulling for KP as head coach but it’s obvious now that this is to much of an undertaking for a UL guy that had no head coaching experience, I don’t know how much longer this can go on but when you’re averaging 5-6 thousand fans for home games and you’re arch rival Kentucky actually had more fans in the Yum center than UL it’s time to make a move!!!
Josh Heird got it right and did the right thing. Coach Cal and a lot of veteran sportscasters agreed. He needs more time.
Rome not built in a day.
In general most coaches take minimum 3 years to get all the players they need. Patience, Pittsburgh did good with their coach and they have improved great.
Go
Cards
I believe Kenny Payne will get it going in just a matter of time. I have already seen much improvement in this years team compared to last years team. I believe once he gets some more players who are dedicated team players it spark a revival of the past. Like the teams of the 80’s.
I think Coach Payne is a good coach. Us UofL fans are spoiled. We are used to winning. I believe Coach Payne needs time to show what he can do. To get a full recruiting class in for a couple of years and see if he can make a success out of this rebuild. I hope that our program can be turned around sooner than later.
Should have kept David Padgett! None of the rest likely would have happened
What a terrible argument presented in this article, to suggest that the program could implode like it did after the Pitino firing is ignorant. After Pitino there was an investigation going on, FBI, NCAA, and the threat of sanctions up to, and including, "the death penalty." None of those things are involved in this instance. It can be argued that keeping Payne could lead to further destruction of the program. Journalism at its worst!
Agree that nothing would improve with firing of KP mid season. The primary reason I believe UL must ultimately cut him loose: he isn’t showing a command of schemes and game planning. I don’t think he is a good teacher. No matter how much talent he has on a roster I think they will always play below their potential because KP’s strength doesn’t seem to be strategy or tactics. He’s great to have on the staff but not as the head coach.
Kenny Payne, needs more time.
What happened to the fans, when he said I need the support of Louisville, and the fans to make this work!
How we forget! When we’re not winning.
Put yourself in his shoes.
Kenny Payne was thrown to the wolves. A program that I love, happened to have unfinished business with the NCAA, the change in the Transfer portal, and NIL.It’s hard to win with such an unstable program. Denny Crum and Rick Pitino had stable programs and reaped the benefits of such. Really hard to recruit players when there is such uncertainty about a coaching staff. Kenny Payne is not only being ask to win , but change the negative image of a program that once flourished.
Give Kenny Payne another year to turn things around.
LMAO at all these UK fans supporting Kenny Payne 😂