John Calipari wishes Kenny Payne the best -- except in head-to-head battles

John Calipari wishes nothing but success for Kenny Payne at Louisville — well, most of the time. And Payne understands.

The two coaches and longtime friends consider themselves brothers, something neither side expects to change now that they lead rival programs.

“I don’t worry about that at all, simply because I know Coach Cal,” Payne told WHAS 11’s Kent Spencer back in June. “I love Coach Cal, and I know Coach Cal loves me. He’s a mentor, he’s a friend, he’s a big brother. … Do I think our friendship will change? Never in a million years.”

“I don’t (expect that to change),” Calipari added in a public media appearance on Tuesday. “Kenny is my brother, he’s family. … I want him to go out and do well. This is his chance, this is his opportunity to prove himself. I think you’re going to see — I’ve said it before, he should’ve been hired five years ago at Louisville. They got him now, he’s surrounding himself with good people. He is a good person, so I think it’s going to go fine.”

All of that comes with an asterisk. Each side wants the other to thrive in their respective positions — except in head-to-head battles. Calipari’s stance is rather clear.

“I wish him well — except when we play him,” said Calipari. “I hope he gets his head bashed in when we play him. Other than that, I hope they win every game.”

Payne’s thoughts? He understands completely.

“It’s one game a year,” said Payne. “He’ll be the first to tell you, ‘Kenny, I’m going to try to knock your head off the block, but I love you.’ I get it.”

What about from a recruiting perspective? Calipari snuck a subtle jab in when discussing the two programs. The two may compete on the trail every once in a while — five-star prospects DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw being the current examples — but Kentucky and Louisville don’t typically recruit the same players.

“Will we recruit against him? Some, but that has never been an issue, Kentucky and Louisville in recruiting,” said Calipari. “Some, but it’s not like every kid they’re recruiting, we’re recruiting.”

At the end of the day, Kentucky is still Kentucky. Relationships aside, Calipari wants to keep that very clear.