LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville has informed Kenny Payne he will not return next season as men's basketball head coach, Director of Athletics Josh Heird announced Wednesday.

Heird will be available to members of the media this afternoon.

"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. "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."

He needed another year or two. Or five.

4 minutes ago, bugatti said:

He needed another year or two. Or five.

He won’t be able to get a HC job at Atherton. 

I don't know anything about Josh Heird, or the overall Athletic Department at Louisville. But when you swing and miss that badly, does his seat heat up a little?

2 minutes ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

I don't know anything about Josh Heird, or the overall Athletic Department at Louisville. But when you swing and miss that badly, does his seat heat up a little?

Heird’s hand was forced in hiring KP, he wasn’t really allowed to make a legitimate hire, for a number of reasons. 

Having said that, his job 100% relies on the success of this next hire. 

 

26 minutes ago, MJAlltheWay24 said:

I don't know anything about Josh Heird, or the overall Athletic Department at Louisville. But when you swing and miss that badly, does his seat heat up a little?

Granted, one year isn't enough to judge, but he may have bought himself a small amount of grace in the fact that hiring Brohm seems to be working out.

That being said, I tend to agree with @TheDeuce .   You can't fail epically 2 times in a row on the departments marquee hire.

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

Heird’s hand was forced in hiring KP, he wasn’t really allowed to make a legitimate hire, for a number of reasons. 

Having said that, his job 100% relies on the success of this next hire. 

I agree. The next coach is clearly going to need to be more proven and experienced.

Email to season ticket holders: 

Dear Card Nation,   As you may be aware, I have informed Men's Basketball Head Coach Kenny Payne that he will not be returning for the 2024-25 season.   The past several years have been challenging for our Men's Basketball program, and although change can be difficult, it is time to begin the search for new leadership. We have extremely high aspirations for our storied program, and we will not shy away from our pursuit of championships. We are very grateful to Coach Payne for returning to Louisville, and for bringing his passion for Cardinal basketball into every aspect of his coaching.   We owe it to our student-athletes, our department, our university, and to you—our loyal Louisville fans—to find the right coach for this incredible program. I share your tremendous passion to compete for conference and national championships, and I am confident that we will succeed in finding the perfect coach to lead us forward.   A national search for our next Men's Basketball Coach will begin immediately. I am committed to leaving no stone unturned to find the right coach for our program.   Thank you for your support of our athletics programs. We have a lot to be proud of at UofL, and we will continue to work tirelessly to achieve unprecedented heights in all that we do.   Sincerely,

Josh Heird Athletic Director

We he (Payne) return as an assistant in the NBA, could Cal bring him back, or will he just relax and collect his $8 million due to him.

47 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

We he (Payne) return as an assistant in the NBA, could Cal bring him back, or will he just relax and collect his $8 million due to him.

I think Kenny Payne's recruiting ability was exposed, IMO. 

Maybe Cal can find some value in having him, but I'm not sure what it would be. 

3 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

I think Kenny Payne's recruiting ability was exposed, IMO. 

Maybe Cal can find some value in having him, but I'm not sure what it would be. 

I was thinking more of his work with the big men more than recruiting.

3 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I was thinking more of his work with the big men more than recruiting.

That too. 

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield has progressed some, but he was also a 5* coming out of high school who was eventually going to improve on his own. 

I had saw several interviews where Davis and Towns talked highly of Payne and his part in making them better players. Some guys I think are excellent assistants, but just are not cut out for the job of head coach.