Louisville MBB's Takeaways From the 2022 ACC Tipoff

A look at the more significant takeaways for the Cardinals from the 2022 ACC Tipoff.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Atlantic Coast Conference held their annual Basketball Tipoff media event earlier this week, and you can imagine, the Louisville men's basketball program was present and had plenty to discuss regarding the upcoming season.

Below are some of the more impactful takeaways points over the course of the two-day event in Charlotte, N.C.

Louisville will tipoff the 2022 season against Bellarmine on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

Payne 'Very Pleased' with Progress Since Hiring, Establishing New Culture at Louisville

It has been a busy several months since Kenny Payne was hired to be the head coach of the Louisville men's basketball program. From putting together nearly a completely new staff, to building out his first roster and identifying his first recruiting targets, Payne has had very time to relax since his hiring in late March.

With the his first season as a head coach now less than a month away, Payne is happy with the progress he has made in such a short amount of time.

"Very pleased, somewhat happy," he said in a radio interview on 93.9 The Ville. "I always think there's more that could be done. But I think that we've done a good job of getting to this point."

During this time, every move that Payne has made has calculated when it comes to establishing his culture at Louisville. In fact, he called it "vital" to establish "a culture that's built on success for young people" right away.

"I need a culture that's built on work ethic, that's built on character, that's built on guys that are overcoming barriers, development within themselves, both on the court and off the court," he said during his Main Stage interview. "If I establish that, in my mind, I've succeeded, without ever talking about a win or a loss."

Defense To Be 'Staple' in Year One, Offense Will Be Versatile and Free Flowing

While we have yet to see what a Kenny Payne-coached team actually looks like, the head coach of the Cardinals has said on a handful of occasions this offseason that he wants to run a defense-first approach in his system. Given the collection of players Payne currently has at his disposal, he believes Louisville should be able to hold their own in that end of the court in year one.

"The one thing that I come back to is the defensive end of the floor. We should be a very good defensive team," he said. "We have length, we have athleticism, we have versatile guys that can guard one through four, two through five and one through five. That should be the staple of how we try to win games."

On the other end of the floor, Payne believes that Louisville will be versatile offensively due to their length, as the Cardinals sport seven players who are 6-foot-8 or taller. He also reiterated  that he wants to have a free-flowing style of offense, predicated on being good at passing and being able to operate without necessarily drawing up a play.

"I want these guys to be able to attack, to pass the ball to each other, to move the ball, to space the floor, to create offense off each other," he said. "Another way of saying what I'm trying to say is, I want you to read and react so that it doesn't always have to be a set play."

Multiple Players to See Ball-Handling Duties

At this point in time, it's well documented how thin the backcourt currently is for the Louisville men's basketball program. After losing over half of their roster during the offseason due to graduation and the transfer portal, the Cardinals head into the 2022-23 season with just two scholarship guards at their disposal: El Ellis and Fabio Basili.

But if you ask Payne, Ellis and Basili will be far from the only ones who will have ball-handling responsibilities. In fact, because of the versatility that Louisville has, don't be surprised to see guys from the wing and bringing the ball up the court on a regular basis.

"I think when you talk about Jae'Lyn Withers, he's capable of handling the ball. I think when you talk about Kamari Lands, he's capable of handling the ball. Those are two guys that jump off. Mike James, before it's all said and done, will be a better ball handler," Payne said. "I have a unique group of kids. I'm not saying that they're perfect yet. Again, I'm trying to get them to develop."

As someone who goes against them every day in practice, Ellis himself can speak on the ball-handling abilities that other players on the roster have.

"I get really upset every time that I hear people say that we don't have guards," he said during the Breakout interview session. "I have a freshman, I have a sophomore, and I have two more freshmen that are going at me each and every day, making me better.

Payne: It's Up to Louisville to Rebuild Rivalry vs. Kentucky

It's no secret that in recent years, Louisville's rivalry against Kentucky has been dominated by the latter. While the Cardinals did win the most recent showdown in 2020, the Wildcats have won 11 of the last 14 matchups between the two.

If the rivalry is to become competitive again, Payne says the onus is on Louisville to make it so.

"It’s on Louisville to make it a rivalry. It’s not on Kentucky. Kentucky has been dominant, there’s been a lot of success," he said via ESPN's Jeff Borzello. "We have to bring it. We have to up it. We have to meet them on a level playing field that makes them worry about us.”

While it doesn't get the national attention that Duke-North Carolina does, the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry is arguably the most vitriolic rivalry in college basketball. Payne is hoping that, moving forward, fans on both sides can dial back the hate a bit.

"I don't want it to be a hatred," he said. "Kentucky has been great to me. Is it a rivalry? Of course. It's one of the best rivalries, if it isn't the best rivalry in all of college basketball. That's going to be there. I would like for it to be respectful, but I would like for both programs to know that we both can cheer for each other, or respect each other, and both have success. It benefits the whole state of Kentucky. That's that's what I'm really more about."

Adam Petway Playing Crucial Offseason Role for Louisville

At this point, it's well documented how much conditioning plays a role in Kenny Payne's legendary offseason workouts. A key piece to this, as it pertains to Louisville, was the addition of head strength and conditioning coach Adam Petway.

Petway does have experience in basketball, as he served various roles with the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Arkansas Razorbacks. But it was his previous role as a track and field training coach with West Chester (Pa.) University that really caught Payne's eye.

"One of the things I've always believed in, is that the people that understand movement, that understand body, that understand flexibility, explosion, acceleration, have been the track and field people," Payne said.

Payne says he called both Texas Longhorns head track and field coach Edrick Floreal and Oregon Ducks head track and field coach Robert Johnson for advice regarding the head strength coach role on his staff, and both referenced Petway.

"I'm very pleased," Payne said when asked about Petway's impact over the offseason. "(He's) very knowledgeable about movement, very knowledgeable about how the body functions. He's been great. The guys is different."

Walk-On Guard Hercy Miller Now On Scholarship

Ellis and Basili actually won't be the only scholarship guards for Louisville this season. After joining Louisville over the offseason as a walk-on, guard Hercy Miller is now on scholarship according to Payne.

"He's not a walk on, he's on scholarship here," he said. "I've never looked at him as a walk on candidate."

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound point guard played his freshman year at Tennessee State, but wound up playing just six games. He suffered a hip injury in their season opener, and eventually had to be sidelined for the year.

As many know by now, Miller is the son of hip-hop legend Master P.

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Nell Redmond - theACC.com)

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