Kenny Payne has been fired as head coach at Louisville

The inevitable has been made official, as the University of Louisville has announced Kenny Payne will not return next season as its men’s basketball head coach. He was informed of the decision on Wednesday, AD Josh Heird said.

“Kenny has given a great deal to this university over a span of nearly 40 years, and he will always be a valued member of our Louisville family,” Heird announced. “When we brought Kenny home in 2022, no one had a stronger belief than me in his potential success, but it’s become clear that a change is needed to help this program achieve what is expected and attainable. While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this is the right one for our program.

“On behalf of myself and everyone involved with our men’s basketball program, I want to thank Kenny for his dedication to UofL. I wish him and his family the very best in their future.”

Sources tell KSR that Louisville returned from Washington D.C. for the ACC Tournament on Wednesday and the two sides met shortly following their arrival. Heird met with Payne, then the players to inform them of his decision before the public announcement came in the early afternoon.

Payne wraps up his time at Louisville with an overall record of 12-52, including a 5-37 record against ACC competition. The Cardinals finished 4-28 in his first season in 2022-23, then ended his second season Tuesday at 8-24.

Louisville says a national search for its next head coach will begin immediately.