Kenny Payne stressing importance of Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry

When it comes to Kentucky vs. Louisville, John Calipari has often told his players to treat it like any other game. In his first year as Louisville’s head coach, Kenny Payne is taking the opposite approach. In his press conference this morning, Payne said a big part of his preparation this week has been getting his players to understand the importance of the rivalry. As someone who has been on both sides, spending four years as a player for the Cardinals (1985-89) and ten as an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky (2010-20), Payne has a unique perspective.

“The first part is the rivalry, understanding what this means to all the people involved. The Kentucky fans, the Louisville fans, the schools, the administration, the state of Kentucky, all of that. They need to understand that.”

Payne told a story about how, on his first day on Louisville’s campus, a person close to the program told the players that no matter what happened during the season, if they beat Kentucky, all was well.

“I got here in the summer and we were in Crawford Gym and it was all the freshmen, we were in there shooting around and a gentleman who was around the program, I can’t remember who he was, brought us all in a huddle and said, ‘Let me explain to you what Louisville basketball is. No matter what happens in the season, beat Kentucky and you make a lot of people happy.’ Like, what? ‘So we could go 0-for [winless]?’ ‘Yes, you can go 0-for.’

“I’m 17, 18-years-old and an adult is looking at me saying this. I’m like, what in the world is he talking about? We don’t want to lose a game…That was my first day on campus.”

That message should strike a chord with the Cardinals, who are 2-11 this season, 0-3 in the ACC. Louisville finally picked up its first win on Dec. 14 vs. Western Kentucky and beat Florida A&M a few days later. Lest you worry they were gaining momentum, the winning streak was snapped on Dec. 20 with a 75-67 loss to Lipscomb, and two days later, the Cards lost again at NC State. Tomorrow will be their first game in nine days.

“Coming off of those days off, how do we prepare for a game as, in a lot of people’s minds, and in our minds, the most important game of the year, against our biggest rival?” Payne said. “And what does a rivalry really mean? Getting them to understand the emotional ties to both programs and what it means to this state that we represent Louisville in the right way with our energy, with our effort, with our fight, with our discipline, with our focus and our physicality. To play a team that’s talent-wise one of the top teams in the country, that’s going to finish this season and people will see, one of the best teams in the country. So, we have to go out and prepare and mentally know what we’re facing.”

Payne on Kentucky: “They’re not down from what I watched”

If that end of the last quote wasn’t indication enough, Payne still believes Kentucky is a very talented team despite recent struggles. He spent his Christmas break watching Kentucky’s film and agreed with Calipari in saying that missed shots are a big part of the problem.

“People are looking at them and saying they’re down. They’re not down from what I watched. I listened to the press conference and Cal talked about the open shots that they missed. Easily they missed six, seven, eight wide-open shots, a lot of them in transition. So, for me, my main concern is, to prepare these guys as best as we can, to make sure they’re prepared for war. They’ll probably be the most physical team that we play, with Oscar playing the game trying to get 220 rebounds. That’s the way he plays.”

As one of the main recruiters on Kentucky’s staff until 2020, Payne is familiar with several current Cats, including Oscar Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, and Chris Livingston. When it comes to Oscar, he had one word: relentless.

“One, you’ve gotta understand how he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s relentless, more than people know. You’re looking at a guy that’s 6’7″, 6’8″ but his energy and his effort to fight for every single rebound is relentless. Very rarely do you see a player that’s fighting for low post position offensively but also fighting for offensive rebounds but also straining his defender out so the guard can drive and get layups? He’s a force.”

“What does Kentucky do well” is a question on the minds of a lot of fans recently. Payne had quite a list, all of it going back to Oscar.

“The pressure defensively. I think they do a good job of getting after you. They will run and jump, they will pressure, they will get after the ball. Also, I think in transition, they’re really good. Throwing ahead to shooter with [Antonio] Reeves and Cason Wallace, but also the transition is also geared toward Oscar because no matter where he is, if he’s the last player down, he’s running under the basket and it’s four around one. So you’ve got to deal with him there too.

“The rebounding. Elite rebounding team that at times is sending four players to the offensive glass. So, we’ve been working on all five rebounding, so even if the point guard doesn’t go, we send a point guard in so we can maybe send two to Oscar.”

Payne downplaying “emotional” return to Rupp

As you might expect, Payne was asked more than once what it will be like to return to Rupp Arena for the first time as Louisville’s head coach to face his former boss. For the most part, he downplayed it, saying that instead, he’s focused on getting his players in the right mindset. However, he chuckled when asked if he even knew where the visitor’s locker room is at Rupp.

“Haven’t really thought about it. More thinking about the players, but obviously, it will be emotional. Had a lot of great memories there but I’m at home. I said it before, I’ll say it again. I just want to win the game by one. And I’ll run out of the arena and get out of there. That’s more the way I process.”

Payne knows what it’s like to be on Kentucky’s bench when Louisville takes the court at Rupp. He wants his players to understand how important it is to be locked in right from the start.

“Can the kids understand that there’s something different about this game? Can they digest something’s different about this game, something’s different about this rivalry, something’s different about the focus you have to have to play this team? Something different about the intensity, the energy. Not just the energy of the rivalry, just playing the game, but now you’re going into their den, going into Rupp Arena. You better understand there will be 25,000 [people] and they’re going to be going off and we’ve got to fight. It’s important that they get it.”

“Be the aggressor. If you’re trying to feel your way through it, they’re going to hit first. If they hit first, it means you’re on your heels. They’re going to smell it. They’re going to feel it if you’re on your heels.”

“This is a rivalry and it means a lot to a lot of people”

If you thought the atmosphere around the Kentucky Basketball program was tense, try being a Louisville fan. Cards fans knew it would take time to rebuild the program following multiple NCAA investigations, but a 2-11 start has even the most patient ones grumbling. As a former player, Payne is steadfast in his mission to get his guys to understand what it means to wear a Louisville jersey. That’s why he’s not just treating tomorrow as another game.

“I’m trying to be authentic as I can be, original, as genuine as I can be, and honest as I can be. I don’t know why coaches — I know they want to take the pressure off the kids. I don’t want to do that. I want them to know because this, again, I’m going to say it, win or learn. I want them to know the importance of this program. I want them to know what it means to wear that jersey. I lived it. It’s hard to explain this to people because I have a lot of people who don’t know Louisville telling me about Louisville. I lived it.”

“I’m not sugarcoating this,” Payne continued. “This is a rivalry and it means a lot to a lot of people. It means a lot to me. It means a lot to Cal. It means a lot to the Kentucky fans. It means a lot to the Louisville fans. It means something to the universities. It means something to this state. It’s not just, go dribble and shoot a basketball and whatever happens, happens. That’s not what this is. That may be somewhere else. It’s not in the state of Kentucky.”