Huge Setback: Enough is Enough. The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball Key player explained why he will no longer play for the team
It’s enough, enough already.
Column: The UofL administration must act quickly to finalize the divorce from Kenny Payne after one of the most humiliating days in Louisville men’s basketball history.
Matthew McGaviREVISED: December 14, 2023, 12:06 PM ESTIMATED: DECEMBER 14, 2023
In this narrative:
LOUISVILLE, KY: There is a tipping point that is eventually reached by both parties in most unsuccessful relationships, whether they be sexual, platonic, or even business-related between two corporations or organizations. At this point, the connection can no longer be sustained. Before reaching the tipping point that ultimately leads to the breakup, there are many warning signs that indicate the relationship in issue is toxic.
On Wednesday, December 13, the men’s basketball program at Louisville and its toxic relationship with head coach Kenny Payne came to that.
During a period filled with unexplainable low moments since Payne’s inaugural game, the Cardinals managed to not only touch bottom, but also rise above it to the point that they’re likely on the verge of breaking through the Earth’s crust.
Earlier this week, my good friend Mike Rutherford of Card Chronicle wrote a fantastic article discussing Louisville’s ranking at the bottom. He opened with this leade:
The problem with being at rock bottom is that it takes time to know you’ve arrived. How can you be so certain even in that case?
With way Wednesday transpired, the final statement almost sounds like a dare from fate. In case your indifference has entirely shut you out of any news on men’s hoops, which I wouldn’t blame you for, let’s review the day.
Regarding the events that transpired on the court, it was possibly the worst showing since Payne assumed leadership, which is quite a statement. Louisville appeared as though they didn’t even belong on the same court as their visitors as they took on an Arkansas State club whose only wins of the season came against Alcorn State, UT Rio Grande Valley, and UAB. They lost horribly, 75-63, on their own court because there was essentially little effort or fight on either end of the court. Louisville was down by as much as 20, so the score wasn’t even that close.
For further background, the Red Wolves hadn’t defeated a power conference team since 2014. For the first time since 1963, the Cardinals have lost by ten games at home to a team that had a losing record. The jeers began early in the game, and they grew louder as soon as the last horn blew. The head coach had only been gone for a few days when I last heard boos that loud in the KFC Yum! Center.
Even more embarrassing than the on-court happenings were the day’s off-court tangles and turns.
I wasn’t sure the continuous strangeness of the situation with guard Koron Davis could get any stranger. I must be residing in The Twilight Zone, because my assumption proved to be incorrect.
A few hours before the 8:00 p.m. tip-off versus Arkansas State, at 2:47 p.m., UofL made a straightforward announcement indicating Davis’ intention to use the transfer portal. This was hardly a surprise event, as he hadn’t even been on the bench in a few weeks, much less seen the court.
The original announcement said, “Junior guard Koron Davis of University of Louisville has informed the program that he intends to transfer.” “We are behind him and hope the best for him going forward.”
Just over an hour later, at 3:58 p.m., Davis came out to contradict this remark on Twitter, claiming that he had never told anyone at UofL that he intended to transfer. This was stunning.
“I didn’t express to anyone at U of Louisville that I wanted to transfer,” wrote Davis. “I didn’t request to move. Being a Cardinal is fun for me. It is depressing and tragic that a formal declaration with misleading facts was made public.”
Later, at 6:38 p.m., Louisville would release a follow-up statement in which they said that Davis had been dismissed from the program and that he still wanted to play college football somewhere.
The statement said, “Louisville junior guard Koron Davis was informed that he had been dismissed from the men’s basketball team prior to the program issuing a statement this afternoon.” “Davis has stated that he plans to play basketball in college and would look for options at another school. We send him our very warmest wishes.
Already, this is a public relations problem. But don’t hold SID Zach Greenwell, who released both remarks, responsible for anything. In this case, his responsibility is to release the statement that Kenny Payne requests. To play devil’s advocate, there have been innumerable examples of players getting kicked out of a school in collegiate athletics over the years, but they are trying to look good by claiming they will transfer. This is only the incredibly uncommon occasion in which the player chooses not to comply.
The way this was treated from the beginning, rather than the way it was handled on Wednesday, which was already done badly, is what makes it even more embarrassing. Davis hasn’t been on the field in weeks. He hadn’t even been practicing since before the Coppin State game, an insider told me. It was obvious that something was wrong.
But rather than confronting this head-on, Kenny Payne insisted right away that he “was not in trouble.” If that’s the case, then why was he absent from the team to begin with? Just declare it a “violation of team rules,” and he could be done with it.
Rather, the story of Koron Davis ended in utter chaos, and was soon followed by an even more disorganized showing on the court against a squad that Louisville is not often supposed to be competitive against.
All of this is to get to this point, I say: enough is enough. It’s official that Kenny Payne and the University of Louisville can no longer work together. The two parties need to be divorced immediately to avoid more harm and humiliation; they cannot wait until the end of the season.
It’s not as if there was any chance of saving the marriage. We’ve all seemed to have concluded for the past few weeks that Payne will be fired at the end of the season. Ultimately, under his leadership, Louisville’s record is a pitiful 8-34, with 2-20 results versus ACC opponents and 0-19 away from the KFC Yum! Center.
Not to add that there is never any indication that things will improve. Even having a nearly whole new class of players, the team’s on-court performance appears to be nearly as dismal as that of the dreadful 4-28 squad from his rookie season. They exhibit no discernible strategy on either end of the court and give up easily when faced with difficulty.
Additionally, recruiting attempts have essentially stopped. Not only did the Cardinals miss a lot of opportunities in the 2024 cycle, but they are also far from competitive for guys that Payne helped recruit at Kentucky.
Furthermore, Payne still avoids responsibility like Neo does in The Matrix. He may begin a press conference by blaming himself and his staff for the defeats, but he has a history of trying to rationalize the mounting losses by repeatedly throwing players under the bus.
He handled the Ty-Laur Johnson tights situation horribly, which is the most noteworthy recent example of this, but I could name almost every post-game news conference as an example. Not helping matters is the fact that almost all of Kenny Payne’s news conferences employ language more appropriate for an initial press conference than for one held a year and a half into his employment.
When asked about perhaps changing his coaching staff after their season-ending defeat to Boston College in the ACC Tournament the previous year, Payne laughed it off when asked about it by Brooks Holton of the Courier-Journal. Despite the outside buzz reaching a fever pitch, Payne stated he wasn’t worrying about his own future during his post-game press conference following the Arkansas State loss.
“Not really, no,” he replied. “I most likely would if I lived my life being untrue to who I am. My life is based on my faith. I try to spend my life by acting in my players’ best interests. I always ask myself if I’ve cheated my players at the end of the day. Did I deceive Skyy Clark? Did I deceive Tre White? Nine times out of 10, the response is no. The noise from outside doesn’t concern me.
When you actually watch the games, it’s difficult to agree with this statement. It’s obvious to anyone who has watched a single game since Payne took over that these brilliant players aren’t being positioned for success. Not really close at all.
I am aware that if athletic director Josh Heird waits until the conclusion of the season to fire Payne, Louisville will save $2 million on his buyout. Waiting makes sense financially. However, the embarrassment this staff is causing has already catapulted the show into national laughingstock notoriety just one month into its three-month run. When this team really participates in ACC competition, I can’t help but worry about the potential harm that could be done to the program.
I will not sit here and profess to be an authority on the financial status of the Louisville athletic department. Hell, they’re still giving their former coach, whom they had to fire, buyout money. However, there comes a time when you have to bite the bullet and decide what’s best for the university, and Wednesday was that time.
To be honest, I’m not typically this vocal about demanding respect for others’ work. Kenny Payne looks like a fantastic guy, and as an alum, I wanted him to thrive here because of the significance of seeing a somebody like him in the head chair for so many people, particularly the Black community in Louisville and the disenchanted fans of the Crum period.
However, as I’ve already stated, enough is enough. Although Kenny Payne as a person might be the Dalai Lama, Kenny Payne as a coach has been a complete failure from almost the beginning. Indeed, Payne had a very tough task ahead of him since the program was coming off of two straight scandals and its first losing season in twenty years. But there’s no denying that the program is in a far worse state now than it was when he took control.
