The page has been turned.
Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images
The Kenny Payne era at Louisville has, mercifully, reached its conclusion.
After just two seasons with Payne at the helm, U of L athletic director Josh Heird decided on Wednesday that he had already seen more than enough.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Payne exits Louisville with a career record of 12 wins and 52 losses. His career winning percentage isn’t just the lowest in U of L history, but the lowest of any coach in ACC history who coached at least 25 games. The Cardinals were 5-37 in league games under Payne’s direction, and 1-27 in games played outside of the KFC Yum Center.
Whether you wanted Payne to be the head coach or didn’t want Payne to be the head coach, once it was done 24 months ago, we all wanted it to work. It was obvious from the outset that it wasn’t going to, and has only become more and more apparent over time.
The turning of the page has happened. The climb from rock bottom has begun.
We sit no longer.
