Kenny Payne shares how El Ellis impacted win over Western Kentucky

Breathe easy, Louisville fans. The first win of the Kenny Payne era is finally here, with the Cardinals defeating in-state foe Western Kentucky on Wednesday night. Despite being home underdogs, Payne was able to get the job done and was in store for a celebratory night.

Point guard El Ellis was a major reason why Louisville was able to get a win, posting an impressive 30-point, 10-assist double-double. It’s a learning moment for Ellis according to Payne, as the primarily scoring guard was able to dish it out to his teammates vs. WKU.

“Well, that’s what he has to do,” Payne said. “El Ellis is a dynamic guard that can really score the ball and he’s learning that ‘I have to be a giver as well. If I want to be a great player, I want to make money at this game, if I want to be the player that I say that I am, I got to be able to give and create shots for others as well as get my own.’ I thought he was great tonight.”

Ellis is now in his second season with the Louisville program and six assists were his career high. He is now in the double-digit range and you can tell how proud Payne is of the development.

But as many head coaches would, Payne pointed out there is still room for improvement. As Louisville was attempting to close out the game, Ellis was not playing up to standard. Payne wanted more energy out of the guard in the final minutes.

“Little upset at him at the end of the game because he would break open to get it in the press and then stop and stand,” Payne said. “There is no tired, that’s why we do conditioning every day. Go get the ball and finish the game off.”

Even so, it’s “hats off” to the 30-point scorer. Ellis will be hoping to take this win and continue to move forward in a positive direction for Louisville.

“Proud of him, happy for him,” Payne said. “It goes to show what hard work and dedication and having your doubts and fighting through them. And he did that tonight. Hats off to him.”

Next up for Payne’s team is Florida A&M before Lipscomb comes to town. ACC play is set to get into full swing, where Louisville will get tough opponents who will present challenges. More performances like Wednesday’s from Ellis and a couple more wins will be added before the season ends.