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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) - Now that the long-expected firing of University of Louisville basketball coach Kenny Payne is a reality, the attention turns to who will be hired to pick up the pieces of a 12-52 record over the past two seasons and try to return the program to national prominence.
While not mentioning any names, naturally, U of L athletic director Josh Heird gave some indications of the type of coach he will be looking for during a half-hour media session Wednesday afternoon in the interview room at the KFC Yum! Center. He said he doesn't have a timetable but realizes the importance of moving cautiously, yet quickly, given that the transfer portal opens Monday. Heird also said he won't use a search committee, as he did when hiring Payne, but rather will appoint a two-or-three-person "advisory committee."
"We need to get this hire right," he said. "And we will leave no stone unturned in our search. We have a lot to be proud of here at U of L. An incredibly rich basketball tradition, world-class facilities, unrivaled fan and donor support and a strong commitment to winning conference and national championships. I have no doubt we will find the right coach to bring this storied program back to national prominence. Whoever we hire I want him to be here 20 years. I don't look at this like a five-year decision. I look at it like it's hopefully 20-25 years."
Heird revealed that he met with Payne on Wednesday morning and informed him of his decision. He said he had held out hope all season that the Cards would show more progress under Payne, but when that wasn't forthcoming, he had no choice but to make a move.
"When I hired Kenny I was keenly aware he was not stepping into an ideal situation," Heird said. "After an extremely difficult first season, I was hoping I could see enough progress to warrant the opportunity for him to continue to lead this program for years to come. But unfortunately, other than brief moments of porgress, I did not see the sustained progression I was looking for. In the end, while this decision was incredibly hard to make because of who Kenny is and what he means to our university, I just feel it is the correct decision."
Payne's buyout is $8 million, dropping to $6 million on April 1 and he has reportedly made it clear that he expects the full amount. Heird said only that details are still being worked out.
Here are some of Heird's most relevant comments relating to the coaching search:
ON THE FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS--"Do we have the ability to hire a top-of-the-line coach? Absolutely. But I'm not going to do it at the detriment of the entire corporate value. Some of these buyouts are north of $10 million."
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NEW COACH CONNECTING WITH THE COMMUNITY--"We've got to built momentum with the fan base. That's going to be one of the pieces that is critically important. They have to have the ability to create that connective tissue with our fans, with the media, with the players, with everybody. It's important he has a proven track record of being involved in the community.
"Our fan base is absolutely dying for this program to be successful. And that will be a direct question for whoever we are considering. Can you manage the enormity of this position? Because it's big, it's really big, and there are a lot of complexities to it. You know, it's a lot more than coaching basketball. This basketball program is the lifeblood of this city. One of the things I think is more important than anything else is, we've got to have somebody who is dying to coach this basketball program. I mean, they will crawl here to coach this program, because that's how much it means to him."
BASIC QUALIFIFICATIONS--"The ability to show that they've built a program, that they've seen some success as a head coach. I think it's almost certainly - never say never - but I think it's going to be really hard to hire somebody who hasn't been a head coach."
ON HIS SELLING POINT TO COACHING PROSPECTS--"For the first time in a number of years, whoever the new head coach is, he will be coming into a program I think can have success immediately, and I couldn't have said that to Chris (Mack) or Kenny. I have said countless times that the impact of the NCAA sanctions and potential sanctions are underestimated. The one thing that makes NCAA basketball different than every sport out there is the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. That's what makes this sport special and anybody that Chris was recruiting or Kenny was recruiting for a year was being told that if you go to Louisville, you will have no chance to compete in the NCAA Tournament, and (basketball players) want that moment."
HOW QUICKLY THE NEW COACH WILL BE EXPECTED TO WIN--"I've never said there is a threshold you're going to have to meet relative to a win-loss record. But I would tell you there are a handful of programs around the country that don't truly have the luxury of time because of the impact on the revenue to the athletic department. The new coach coming in here needs to understand that in order for all parts of this athletic department to be healthy, the basketball program has to be successful."
As for possible candidates:
Topping the wish list among U of L fans is Baylor's Scott Drew, 53, who took over a Bears program in ruins 19 years ago, turned it into a national power, and is only three years removed from a national championship. He would be a longshot, however.
Probably ranking second among the potential candidates is UCLA coach Mick Cronin, a former assistant to Rick Pitino at U of L and a veteran who has taken 13 teams to the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the 2021 Final Four as the No. 11 seed. But Cronin reportedly has a $20 million buyout that drops to $16 million on April 1, although there may be a clause in his contract that negates the buyout under certain circumstances.
Among other possible candidates are Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May, although he is rumored to be in line for the Ohio State job; Indiana State's Josh Schertz; Niko Medved of Colorado State; Eric Musselman of Arkansas; Seton Hall's Shaheen Holloway; Kansas State's Jerome Tang; TCU's Jamie Dixon; Lamont Paris of South Carolina; Shaka Smart of Marquette; and Alabama's Nate Oats.
