Louisville is reportedly firing head men’s basketball coach Kenny Payne after two seasons on the job. The move comes following the Cardinals’ quick exit from the ACC Tournament, where they fell to NC State in a 94-85 first-round loss on Tuesday.
Hired to take over for his alma mater in March of 2022, Payne’s short run ended up being the worst coaching tenure in the modern history of the program. He posted an abysmal 12-52 record that included only five wins in the ACC and one road victory total. Fans grew tired of his lack of adjustment and accountability following losses and Payne himself verbalized his frustrations at the negativity surrounding the program during his final press conference.
Louisville’s program has been in a perpetual state of turmoil since its national championship season in 2013, mired by both scandal and poor play on the court. Payne’s tenure tanked the once powerhouse program to previously unfathomable lows, triggering low attendance at the KFC Yum! Center and extreme apathy within the fan base. Now undergoing their second coaching search in three years, the U of L brass will be tasked with finding a replacement that can both get the team back to national relevance and restore excitement for the program within the city.
Below, we’ll take a crack at some potential candidates the leadership at Louisville could target in the coming weeks.
Louisville coaching candidates
Scott Drew, Baylor head coach
Drew has already emerged as the top candidate for the job within Louisville circles and the school is reportedly willing to make him one of the highest paid coaches in the nation if he’s interested in making the jump. The 53-year-old head coach has spent the last two decades turning Baylor into a national power, ultimately culminating with a national championship in 2021. His accomplishments in Waco are impressive considering that he took over a program that was in ruins following numerous scandals under his predecessor Dave Bliss.
With that experience resurrecting a program from the abyss, him being a prime candidate for this fallen power is a no brainer. But is he willing to leave a comfortable gig in the Big 12 for Louisville? We’ll find out soon enough.
Dusty May, Florida Atlantic head coach
May has become one of the hottest mid-major coaching commodity’s over the past year and it’s only a matter of time before a power conference school snatches him from FAU. In six seasons at the helm in Boca Raton, he has taken a program with virtually no relevant history at the Division I level and turned it into one of the fastest rising mid-majors in the nation. He of course introduced both himself and the school to a national audience last year when the Owls made a Cinderella run to the Final Four.
As for Louisville, there is a regional connection with May as he is from Bloomfield, IN, which is two hours away. He would be a viable option for the Cardinals, but they would have to fend off Ohio State, who has already earmarked him as their top candidate for their coaching vacancy.
Jerome Tang, Kansas State head coach
Another candidate being floated is Tang, who was hired the same week as Payne and has produced significantly better results in two seasons. He was able to re-inject life into a Wildcat program that had flatlined under Bruce Weber, taking K-State to the Elite Eight one year ago and came up just a few points shy of the program’s first Final Four appearance since 1964. Tang also served as an assistant coach under Scott Drew for several seasons, so he’d be a good backup candidate if Drew turns them down.
Mick Cronin, UCLA head coach
Cronin is another name that has been floated as a potential replacement for Payne at Louisville and it may be able to poach him. Despite criticism of his coaching style and personality, Cronin run at UCLA has been a general success with a Final Four appearance and two Sweet 16’s. However, his tenure in Westwood has begun to sour as the Bruins underwhelmed with a below .500 record this season. And given that the program is about to jump into unfamiliar waters in the Big Ten next year, this may be a perfect time for both parties to go their separate ways.
Cronin, of course, has strong ties to the region being a Cincinnati native and having successful stints at both Murray State and his alma mater Cincinnati. He’d be a familiar face to high school players and coaches within the area and that would go a long way towards the Cardinals regaining some of their good will.