Former Louisville HC Kenny Payne Joining John Calipari's Staff at Arkansas

The former head coach of the Cardinals is reuniting with his former boss at Kentucky.
Kentucky'ss John Calipari and Louisville coach Kenny Payne meet each other at mid court
Kentucky'ss John Calipari and Louisville coach Kenny Payne meet each other at mid court / Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kenny Payne didn't stay out of a job for very long.

On Thursday, it was announced that the former Louisville men's basketball head coach is reuniting with his former boss in John Calipari, becoming his associate head coach down at Arkansas.

Prior to a brief stint with the New York Knicks before taking over the UofL program, Payne had spent 10 years as an assistant on Calipari's staff while the head coach at Kentucky. The Wildcats posted a 295-74 overall record during Payne's time in Lexington, made four trips to the Final Four and two to the national championship game, including winning it all 2012.

However, Payne's tenure at Louisville was nothing short of an abject disaster. The second-year head coach, who had previously never been a head coach at any level, finished with just a 12-52 record at his alma mater. This includes 5-35 in regular season ACC games, 1-28 in road/neutral site games and 0-19 in Quad 1 NET games.

"While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this is the right one for our program," athletic director Josh Heird said. "On behalf of myself and everyone involved with our men's basketball program, I want to thank Kenny for his dedication to UofL. I wish him and his family the very best in their future."

Payne was officially dismissed by Louisville on Mar. 13, one day removed from the Cardinals' season-ending loss to NC State in the ACC Tournament. 15 days later, the university tabbed Charleston's Pat Kelsey as their next head coach.

(Photo of John Calipari, Kenny Payne: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic