Kenny Payne out as Louisville Men’s Basketball Head Coach

LOUISVILLE, KY (WTVQ)- Kenny Payne is out as the Head Coach of the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team. Athletic Director Josh Heird announced the news via a press release on Wednesday afternoon.

A national search is underway for the team’s next head coach.

“Kenny has given a great deal to this university over a span of nearly 40 years and he will always be a valued of our Louisville family,” said Heird.

In two seasons at Louisville, Payne had a record of 12-52. This season, the Cards finished 8-24 which is four wins more than they earned in Payne’s first season.

In conference, Payne’s Cardinals had a 5-37 record. His team’s latest loss came in the first round of the ACC Tournament at the hands of North Carolina State 94-85 in Washington D.C.

Payne, a former assistant at the University of Kentucky under Head Coach John Calipari, had coached the Cards since 2022. He also was a player at UofL, scoring over one thousand points and winning a national title in 1986 as a freshman.