Kenny Payne surprised by negative recruiting at Louisville

Kenny Payne spent ten years on the Kentucky Basketball staff, six as associate head coach. During that time, he helped John Calipari lure in five-star prospects from across the country, a task that surely included countering false narratives from other schools. Even with all that experience, Payne says he’s been surprised by the amount of negative recruiting he’s faced at Louisville thus far, specifically from coaches he’s known for over 30 years.

“One of the things that I’ve been surprised about is how many people across the country have interest in us,” Payne said at the St. Stephen Baptist Men’s Ministry Prayer Breakfast yesterday, via WHAS11. “But, with that comes something that I wasn’t prepared for and that was the hatred. I wasn’t prepared for universities to say, ‘Louisville’s going on probation, why would you ever go there?’ to deter these kids from listening and especially from people that I’ve helped in the past. It’s a lesson for me.

“As I’ve taken this job and I hate to say this, my relationships with certain people that have been in my life for 30, 40 years have changed. That hurts me. It hurts me. But, as I said, me sitting here, is, ‘God, I haven’t dwelled in it but it’s something that I have to deal with daily.'”

Payne is surprised by "hatred" coming from places due to people having interest in UofL. "I wasn't prepared for universities to say, 'Louisville is going on probation, why would you ever go there?'" Some he's helped in the past have said such things, changing their relationship. pic.twitter.com/C0sHs67pJH

— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) August 29, 2022

John Calipari and Kenny Payne’s relationship

Were Payne’s remarks aimed at John Calipari? Louisville and Kentucky are currently battling for five-star 2023 stars Aaron Bradshaw and DJ Wagner, the latter of which the Cardinals want so badly they added Milt Wagner, DJ’s grandfather, to their staff as the director of player development and alumni relations. Since Payne took the job at Louisville, both he and John Calipari have insisted they will remain friends — albeit competitive ones.

“I don’t worry about that at all, simply because I know Coach Cal,” Payne told WHAS 11’s Kent Spencer 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.”

“Kenny is my brother, he’s family,” Calipari said in July. “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.”

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

Kentucky is currently trending as the favorite for Wagner, with a 59.4% chance in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine to Louisville’s 39.8%. Although his recruitment has gone quiet over the past month, it’s clearly weighing heavy on Payne’s mind given yesterday’s comments. Coincidentally, we’ll hear from both Payne and Calipari as they share the stage at the Kentucky Chamber conference on September 14. We’ll be on hand for any fireworks.