Kenny Payne

Last updated
Kenny Payne
Kenny Payne.jpg
Payne with the Kentucky Wildcats in 2014
Arkansas Razorbacks
Position Associate head coach
Conference SEC
Personal information
Born (1966-11-25) November 25, 1966 (age 57)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school Northeast Jones
(Laurel, Mississippi)
College Louisville (1985–1989)
NBA draft 1989: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career1989–2000
Position Small forward
Number21
Coaching career2004–present
Career history
As player:
1989–1993 Philadelphia 76ers
1993–1994 Tri-City Chinook
1999–2000 Cairns Taipans
As coach:
2004–2009 Oregon (assistant)
2010–2014 Kentucky (assistant)
2014–2020Kentucky (Associate HC)
2020–2022 New York Knicks (assistant)
2022–2024 Louisville
2024–present Arkansas (Associate HC)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As assistant coach:

Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at NBA.com
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

Kenneth Victor Payne (born November 25, 1966) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is currently the associate head coach at the University of Arkansas. Previously, he was the head coach at the University of Louisville. Prior to being hired at Louisville, Payne spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and 195 lb (88 kg) small forward, Payne played college basketball at Louisville and was a member of the 1986 NCAA championship squad. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 19th pick of the 1989 NBA draft. [1]

Contents

Playing career

Payne played for the University of Louisville from 1986 to 1989, winning a national title as a freshman in a victory over Duke. As a starter his last two years at Louisville, he averaged 10.7 points and 5 rebounds as junior, and 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds as senior, while shooting 51% from the field, including 43% on 3-pointers. His last season, Louisville won the Metro Conference tournament and was rated 12th in the final poll and the team made it to the Sweet 16.

In four NBA seasons from 1989 to 1993 for the Philadelphia 76ers, he averaged 3.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He was waived by the team in January 1993 because the GM did not think that he would be part of the regular rotation anymore to save $250,000 from being paid to him. [1] He also played professionally overseas in Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, Cyprus, China, Argentina and Australia. [2] Following his NBA stint, Payne played one season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in 1993–94, averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Tri-City Chinook. [3]

Coaching career

Payne served as assistant coach for the University of Oregon from 2004 to 2009. From 2010 to 2014, Payne served as assistant coach for the University of Kentucky; from 2014 to 2020, he was the associate head coach. [4] [5] In 2012, Payne met with Mississippi State University's athletic director about its men's basketball team's head coach vacancy, [6] though ultimately he was not hired. [7]

On August 11, 2020, the New York Knicks hired Payne as assistant coach under head coach Tom Thibodeau. [8]

On March 18, 2022, Payne was introduced as the new head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville. He finished his first year as head coach with only four wins, the worst record in modern history for any Louisville basketball team.

During the fall of 2023 there was frustration and anger among fanbase, with members calling for Payne's termination with an open petition, a website, trending social media posts, and a song called "Fire Kenny Payne" by Jonathan Hay. [9] [10]

Payne won his first road game on January 10, 2024, defeating Miami. [11]

After the 2023–24 season, Louisville fired Payne. Payne finished his two season in charge with a 12–52 overall record and a 5–35 conference record. The Cardinals finished last in the ACC in both seasons where Payne was head coach. [12]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Louisville Cardinals (Atlantic Coast Conference)(2022–2024)
2022–23 Louisville 4–282–1815th
2023–24 Louisville 8–243–1715th
Louisville:12–52 (.188)5–35 (.125)
Total:12–52 (.188)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Personal life

Payne and his wife Michelle have two children. [2] One of his children, Zan, is a player for the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Stackhouse</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1974)

Jerry Darnell Stackhouse is an American basketball coach and former professional player who most recently was the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores men's team. Stackhouse played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was a two-time NBA All-Star. He was the head coach of Raptors 905 and an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies. Additionally, he has worked as an NBA TV analyst.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malik Rose</span> American basketball player (born 1974)

Malik Jabari Rose is an American former professional basketball player. Rose played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning championships with the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Unseld</span> American basketball player and coach (1946–2020)

Westley Sissel Unseld Sr. was an American professional basketball player, coach and executive. He spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected with the second overall pick by the Bullets in the 1968 NBA draft. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year during his rookie season and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only two players in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Unseld won an NBA championship with the Bullets in 1978, and the Finals MVP award to go with it. After retiring from playing in 1981, he worked with the Bullets/Wizards as a vice president, head coach, and general manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Cheeks</span> American basketball coach and player (born 1956)

Maurice Edward Cheeks is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has also served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Detroit Pistons. Cheeks was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Cunningham</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1943)

William John Cunningham is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the Kangaroo Kid for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers, and two seasons as a player with the Carolina Cougars of the ABA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bibby</span> American basketball player and coach

Charles Henry Bibby is an American former professional basketball player who played for the New York Knicks, New Orleans Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers, and San Diego Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also spent a season as a player-assistant coach for the Lancaster Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Bogans</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Keith Ramon Bogans is an American former basketball player who last served as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reece Gaines</span> American basketball player (born 1981)

Clifton Reece Gaines is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach at Austin Spurs. He is currently a video coordinator for Louisville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Les</span> American basketball coach and former player

James Alan Les is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the UC Davis Aggies men's team. A former point guard, Les played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after his college career at Bradley University.

Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Griffin</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1974)

Adrian Darnell Griffin is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA as a shooting guard and small forward from 1999 to 2008. Griffin grew up in Wichita, Kansas, and played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates.

Scott Anthony Padgett is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant to the head coach for Mississippi State men's basketball. He was formerly the head coach at Samford University. He played for the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Myers</span> American basketball player and coach

Peter Eddie Myers is an American former professional basketball player and a former assistant coach for the NBA team Chicago Bulls. He is most famous for having been Michael Jordan’s replacement player during Jordan’s stint in baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodie Meeks</span> American basketball player (born 1987)

Orestes Jodie Meeks II is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. On January 13, 2009, he gained national recognition by breaking the Kentucky single-game scoring record with 54 points in a nationally televised game on ESPN against Tennessee. In the same game, he broke the university's single-game three-point record by making 10 three-pointers. Meeks won the 2019 NBA championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors.

The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the men's college basketball program representing the University of Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I. The Cardinals have officially won two NCAA championships in 1980 and 1986 ; and have officially been to 8 Final Fours in 39 official NCAA tournament appearances while compiling 61 tournament wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerlens Noel</span> American basketball player (born 1994)

Nerlens Noel is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball career ended in his first season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the University of Kentucky. Noel was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. His rights were later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He plays center and power forward, and was one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnett Moultrie</span> American basketball player (born 1990)

Arnett Nathaniel Moultrie is an American professional basketball player for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball with UTEP and Mississippi State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Atkinson</span> American basketball coach

Kenneth Neil Atkinson is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was previously the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020. Atkinson was born in Huntington, New York and played college basketball for University of Richmond leading the Spiders to a Sweet Sixteen berth in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1988.

Steven Leonard Hayes is an American former basketball player and coach. He played for several years for a variety of teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as in the Continental Basketball Association and in Europe. He is also known for his standout college career at Idaho State University, where he is recognized as one of the best players in the school's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myles Powell</span> American basketball player

Myles Blake Powell is an American professional basketball player for the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Seton Hall Pirates.

References

  1. 1 2 "Detroit, Clippers Find Game Has A Lighter Side". archive.seattletimes.com. January 7, 1993. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Kenny Payne Biography". goducks.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ 1994-95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 328
  4. ↑ "Kenny Payne - Men's Basketball Coach". University of Kentucky Athletics. 11 August 2012. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  5. ↑ Lindsey, Eric (August 11, 2020). "Payne Accepts Assistant Coach Position with New York Knicks". ukathletics.com. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Report: Miss. St., Kenny Payne meet". ESPN.com. March 31, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mississippi State hires Rick Ray". ESPN.com. April 1, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  8. ↑ "New York Knicks Name Kenny Payne Assistant Coach". NBA.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  9. ↑ Today, RUSS BROWN, Kentucky (November 5, 2023). "Payne: Criticism warrented as Cards head into season debut vs. UMBC". Kentucky Today.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ "Fire Kenny Payne" – via soundcloud.com.
  11. ↑ Today, Rick Bozich, WDRB (January 11, 2024). "Louisville makes major deposit, toppling Miami, 80-71, ending 22-game road losing streak". WDRB.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Louisville fires men's hoops coach Kenny Payne, starts search". ESPN . March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.