John Calipari heaps praise on Louisville's reported new head coach hire

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari is a big fan of Louisville’s new head coach. During a pre-NCAA tournament press conference, Calipari reacted to the news of his former assistant head coach taking the job at Louisville.

“First of all he’s a dear friend and they could not hire anybody that will do a better job,” Calipari said, via KSR’s Tyler Thompson. “If they get him, they get the best of the best.”

The University of Louisville Athletic Association Board of Directors has a meeting on Friday at 9 a.m. ET and the school will make a “special announcement” regarding its men’s basketball program at approximately 10 a.m. Jon Rothstein was first to report the news.

Payne played at Louisville and won a national championship with the Cardinals in 1986. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Oregon from 2004-09 before joining John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky in 2010, serving as an assistant until 2014 before taking over as associate head coach. Payne was then hired as an assistant with the New York Knicks in August 2020.

With Payne set to take over the Louisville program, Calipari and his former assistant will coach head-to-head almost yearly. He told reporters it should cool down the animosity between the two sides – not heat up the rivalry.

“Whatever happens in these games, we’ll still be friends,” Calipari said. “It should lighten up our side and their side. It’s one game a year! Who cares?!”

The Kentucky skipper likened the situation he faces yearly with Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. The Wildcats have won three of the last five matchups versus the Cardinals.

The Louisville admin fired former head coach Chris Mack after four seasons at the end of January.