According to Pat Forde of SI.com, Kenny Payne is the leading candidate to be the next head men’s basketball coach at Louisville.
Payne is a former Louisville player and former Kentucky assistant coach. He is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.
Here is an excerpt:
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Louisville has narrowed its search for a new men’s basketball coach with New York Knicks assistant Kenny Payne the primary target, sources told Sports Illustrated.
There is nothing definite yet, with discussions ongoing and no job offered or accepted, sources said. But if talks proceed well over the next 24 hours, Payne could be introduced as the new coach of the Cardinals as soon as Thursday.
Payne, a former Louisville player who was a key cog on the 1986 national championship team, worked as an assistant to John Calipari at Kentucky from 2014 to ’20 before joining the Knicks. He was credited with helping Kentucky’s juggernaut recruiting, in addition to developing its big men.
Interim athletic director Josh Heard has vetted other candidates but the 55-year-old Payne was a strong candidate from the start. Payne had local backing for the job in 2018, when Chris Mack was hired from Xavier, and the groundswell of support increased after Mack and Louisville parted ways in January.
