How Much Does Kenny Payne Appreciate Louisville Basketball?
The Louisville Cardinals lost to Chattanooga 81-71 last night, and the defeat sent a clear message to fans that this was not a winning team or coach. There were bad turnovers, bad shot selection, bad cuts on defense, and the Cards were being outmatched in even a physical sense. Kenny Payne seems to minimize the significance of Louisville basketball. Even fans who supported him during the offseason seem to have turned their back on him. Payne is a great man and a Cardinal forever in the minds of all Louisville fans, but I’m not sure anybody can take another year of his style of basketball.
“KP is going to come out for the post-game presser and call Chattanooga a good team, that they were the aggressors, and that they had a good gameplan,” I thought to myself as the game was coming to a finish. I’m not a prophet, but Payne really did do that.
“Let’s start by giving them credit—that basketball team came in here and played really well. They carried out their plan as they entered without fear of us. Tonight, I felt like they were the ones who were attacking and that we were frequently trailing the action. They played with good vigor and made a lot of threes. Their big guys played with an intensity we couldn’t match or surpass. That is the responsibility of both the coaches and the players. I accept responsibility for that. I informed them that we were facing a formidable team with numerous experienced players who may defeat us. They did it when they got in here. I anticipated it would be hard-fought match. We need to improve. I had hoped that my lads would enter the game with more vigor and play with greater intensity”.”
This was his opening quote:
When compared to power 5 teams, Chattanooga is not a good basketball team. I do not want to disparage them. It is hardly hyperbole to say that most ACC teams would run them off the court. Payne must accept responsibility for the way his team performs; if he accuses the players of not playing with “hard or motivated,” it sounds like he’s raising his hands and saying, “I tried, guys. What more do you want from me?”
Payne also mentioned how the guys aren’t playing with hustle or motivation. Isn’t the primary responsibility of the head coach to inspire the players? Payne gripes about the team’s performance, but that is within his purview. He is talented enough to compete, and I can assure you that they would have won these two games by a minimum of ten points if the players had been adequately motivated or run the right sets.
Winning basketball games is the only thing that can keep Kenny Payne’s coaching seat from burning red, scorching hot, and burning hotter than before. However, as Louisville prepares for game three of the collegiate basketball season, that doesn’t seem to be the case, and things are looking bleak for him.
If Payne has another kind of 4-28 season, it appears that he won’t be kept. Fans of Louisville basketball appear to have had enough, and the team cannot afford it. Although Louisville won’t cut him in the midst of the season, it will be difficult to see Payne staying in 2024 if the team performs poorly and doesn’t win games.
Payne will always be a Cardinal, but coaching at the University of Louisville might not be the right fit for him.
