Kenny Payne’s stint as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals has been a disaster and he’s not going to get a chance to rectify the situation with the program, as he is reportedly expected to get fired from his job.
The news of his looking dismissal from the program started to circulate following Louisville’s 94-85 loss to the NC State Wolfpack in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The defeat seemed to be the final straw added to the haystack against the notion of keeping Payne as head coach.
Kenny Payne Gets Criticized After Final Game As Head Coach Of Louisville Cardinals
After the loss to the Wolfpack, Payne was asked about his thoughts on the idea of coming back for another year to coach the program. His response doesn’t seem to be earning him more fans.
First off, here’s how he answered it, per ESPN:
“For me, I go back to day one,” he said. “When I walked into the program as the new head coach, I talked about, I needed everybody on the same page. We sort of forgot that. I talked about how I’m not going to let you blame me. I’m not standing up here by myself. I need all of Louisville with me.
We sort of forgot that. I talked about, it’s going to take time, and I’m going to watch and see who jumped on and off the Titanic. We sort of forgot that. 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.
“Maybe after you go 12-52 in two seasons at Louisville, don’t act like it’s everyone’s fault but your own. Thought this answer at Kenny Payne’s press conference tonight was embarrassing. Blamed everyone else and took zero accountability of his own,” said Sam Vecenie of The Athletic.
The spotlight of Kenny Payne drawing up plays down 10 with 16.6 seconds left on the clock might be the single funniest thing from this season. pic.twitter.com/fAXgCy21xr
— Justin Soforo (@JustinSoforo) March 12, 2024
Here’s another one from Pat Ford of Sports Illustrated: “Giving up 94 to a mediocre team playing without its leading scorer is a fitting end to the Kenny Payne Era at Louisville.”
“Kenny Payne won those games”
Lie detector determined, Kenny Payne did not win those games. pic.twitter.com/au3zFhisPp
— Kevins_art_collection (@L1C4TheArts) March 13, 2024
The Cardinals finished their 2023-24 NCAA campaign with just an 8-24 overall record and a 3-17 slate in ACC play. They are arguably the worst team among all major conference programs.
For More NBA And College Basketball Content:
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @Rexwell14. Also, do not forget to follow us @HardwoodHeroics for even more great basketball content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in the NBA and college basketball, especially with the 2024 NBA Playoffs coming up and March Madness just around the corner, click here!
