Louisville fires men's hoops coach Kenny Payne, starts search - ESPN

Saying a «change is needed» to help the Cardinals reach expectations, Louisville athletic director Josh Heird announced Wednesday that Kenny Payne had been fired as men's basketball coach.

Payne finishes his Louisville career with a record of 12-52, with just one win away from home. The Cardinals' season ended Tuesday with a 94-85 loss to NC State in the first round of the ACC tournament to wrap up an 8-24 campaign when they went 3-17 in conference play.

«Kenny has given a great deal to this university over a span of nearly 40 years, and he will always be a valued member of our Louisville family,» Heird said in a statement. «When we brought Kenny home in 2022, no one had a stronger belief than me in his potential success, but it's become clear that a change is needed to help this program achieve what is expected and attainable. While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this is the right one for our program.»

Louisville is expected to owe Payne around $8 million, the buyout of what is remaining on the six-year contract he signed when he was hired, sources told ESPN.

The school said it would begin a national search for Payne's replacement immediately. Heird is set to speak to reporters later Wednesday.

Following Tuesday's loss, Payne was asked about his performance as Louisville coach and whether he deserved a third year.

«For me, I go back to day one,» he said. «When I walked into the program as the new head coach, I talked about, I needed everybody on the same page. We sort of forgot that. I talked about how I'm not going to let you blame me. I'm not standing up here by myself. I need all of Louisville with me. We sort of forgot that. I talked about, it's going to take time, and I'm going to watch and