If Payne Is Here Next Season

[shadow force]

What does he need to do and accomplish in order to keep his job according to you?

This is based off of many people saying he will get at least 2 seasons to prove himself and that his buyout is too expensive etc.

 

[jmac1029]

He needs to bring in transfers. Needs to start right now identifying players at mid majors , Division 2, JUCO,etc who have blossomed or developed. This Summer he tried to get elite transfers failed and had no back up plan.

 

[CARDSAgainstHumanity]

I think he has to be a tourney team next year. In order to do that, he must get some bonafide guard talent in the portal and start using that NIL yesterday.

 

[shadow force]

He needs to bring in transfers. Needs to start right now identifying players at mid majors , Division 2, JUCO,etc who have blossomed or developed. This Summer he tried to get elite transfers failed and had no back up plan.

Agreed. Getting some guards in the portal is an absolute must for Payne. Come up short again and Cards will have practically nothing at guard again, and that's if Fabio stays.

 

[jmac1029]

Agreed. Getting some guards in the portal is an absolute must for Payne. Come up short again and Cards will have practically nothing at guard again, and that's if Fabio stays.

Fabio hasn’t played past couple of games. If KP is trying to develop him , that’s a funny way to do it. Of course, nothing makes sense a this point.

 

[BPGhost]

He needs to bring in transfers. Needs to start right now identifying players at mid majors , Division 2, JUCO,etc who have blossomed or developed. This Summer he tried to get elite transfers failed and had no back up plan.

To this point he has failed at bringing in anyone really - which was supposed to be his strongest attribute. After showing potential recruits and transfers that he is seriously in over his head as a HC - why in the world would any sign up to play for this?

The offensive scheme that he learned while with Fat Cal is a dinosaur in todays game. Add to it, that it only really worked super early on AND when you have top flight talent with the ability to get or create their own shots- at least at 4 spots on the floor. At this point, Fat Cal still gets players - though not of the quality or in the numbers as before - by offering the chance to go up against other high-level players every day in practice.

Payne will never be able to offer that because he’ll never get over the first hurdle.

 

[the artist FKA zipp]

I'm not dabbling in Xs and Os that I know very little about. I don't really care how Payne gets results.

But I do know how to measure results in most situations. If this team shows meaningful progress over the course of the season--which I'll generally call "competitiveness"--there's no rational reason to kick him to the curb at the end of the year even if you could. If this team starts legitimately competing for wins in games that it was previously losing by embarrassing margins, that's progress.

The problems are several if you don't keep that open mind... We lack the money that could normally give us a quick, easy fix. We're also sending the same people out to hire Payne's replacement who brought him here in the first place. And Payne's a local guy who would show that type of commitment here if he can succeed in an acceptable time frame. That last one's a good reason not to already be burning bridges with him.

This has been a disaster, but even disasters can be turned around without blowing everything up. We learned that ourselves about five years ago...

 

[Knucklehank1]

I’m not renewing my season tix regardless of who the coach is. Not getting guys in the transfer portal was recruiting malpractice, which makes it tough to even gauge coaching acumen. Simply put, the tickets are too expensive especially relative to the quality of the product. All that being said I think Payne should and will get another year to get this ship off the bottom of the ocean.

 

[the artist FKA zipp]

I also never recommend that people not attend games, but I understand perfectly when that's your decision. Coaches and players IMO really don't understand a lack of fan support, but the folks in charge do.

The way men's basketball has been managed has been unacceptable for a long time. It didn't start with Kenny Payne's arrival. And that's why only half the number of people now pay to attend games. It's also why hiring a miracle replacement for Payne won't immediately turn that around...

 

[WildCard]

To this point he has failed at bringing in anyone really - which was supposed to be his strongest attribute. After showing potential recruits and transfers that he is seriously in over his head as a HC - why in the world would any sign up to play for this?

The offensive scheme that he learned while with Fat Cal is a dinosaur in todays game. Add to it, that it only really worked super early on AND when you have top flight talent with the ability to get or create their own shots- at least at 4 spots on the floor. At this point, Fat Cal still gets players - though not of the quality or in the numbers as before - by offering the chance to go up against other high-level players every day in practice.

Payne will never be able to offer that because he’ll never get over the first hurdle.

I gotta agree with this. Payne's only real coaching experience was in the years he sat next to Cal. Professionally, I'm not sure what those years were worth. I think we all agree Cal's basketball success is/was all about enormously talented players.

Peace

 

[Thecycle27]

I think he walked into an absolute mess. I understand why people are disappointed in how he handled the portal. However there is not one person that would have sent their son to Louisville knowing the ruling was coming out before the season. Very few people believed Louisville wasn’t getting the hammer. It was the best time to negatively recruit against Louisville.

Year 2 he has to keep the young guys on the current roster. He has to let others leave. They are good on the wings.

2-PG
1-SG
2-Bigs that are physical.

Lands, James, Ree, Williams and Glynn.

If they can’t land guards and his kind of big man then I am all in on this is not going to work.

 

[BPGhost]

I think he walked into an absolute mess. I understand why people are disappointed in how he handled the portal. However there is not one person that would have sent their son to Louisville knowing the ruling was coming out before the season. Very few people believed Louisville wasn’t getting the hammer. It was the best time to negatively recruit against Louisville.

Year 2 he has to keep the young guys on the current roster. He has to let others leave. They are good on the wings.

2-PG
1-SG
2-Bigs that are physical.

Lands, James, Ree, Williams and Glynn.

If they can’t land guards and his kind of big man then I am all in on this is not going to work.

Unless I’m wrong, about 15 parents sent their son to play for UofL before the ruling was out. The larger concern / question is, why would any parent send their kid to play for a guy that doesn’t know his *** from his elbow when it comes to running a successful program? Because he’s a nice guy?

 

[PushupMan]

Assuming he gets a year 2 at all, he will need at least a .500 record to get a year 3. Making the NCAA tourney in year 2 will get him an extension and a raise.

I may be one of a very small minority, but I think adding one veteran PG and one veteran SG out of the portal, and convincing BHH, Withers, Lands, Traynor, James, Basili, Ree, Miller, and Wheeler to return would give us a team that could post at least a .500 season next year.

 

[Knucklehank1]

I think he walked into an absolute mess. I understand why people are disappointed in how he handled the portal. However there is not one person that would have sent their son to Louisville knowing the ruling was coming out before the season. Very few people believed Louisville wasn’t getting the hammer. It was the best time to negatively recruit against Louisville.

Year 2 he has to keep the young guys on the current roster. He has to let others leave. They are good on the wings.

2-PG
1-SG
2-Bigs that are physical.

Lands, James, Ree, Williams and Glynn.

If they can’t land guards and his kind of big man then I am all in on this is not going to work.

Wasn’t Huntley-Hatfield a 5-star recruit out of high school? They were able to convince him. I also find it hard to believe there weren’t some solid guards at ASUN type schools that wouldn’t come to
Louisville. Heck, Bellarmine is on essentially four years probation and has found a way to recruit.

 

[Cardiac Red]

However there is not one person that would have sent their son to Louisville knowing the ruling was coming out before the season. Very few people believed Louisville wasn’t getting the hammer

Not one huh ? Lands a 4 * kid and BHH a 5* kid both their parents sent their kid to UofL.. Hell Baseli reclassified to come here a year early.. And count me as one of the people that didn't think we were going to get hammered...

The cloud over the program as an excuse for poor recruiting is weak as hell.. Kansas has 7 level one violations hanging over their head, they seem to recruit pretty good, same thing for Arizona and Auburn..

What was KP doing preseason to get the team ready ? Why were players out of shape ? Why are we just now, in game 15 of the season starting look half *** like a team ? I'm just disgusted with Louisville basketball.

 

[Thecycle27]

Unless I’m wrong, about 15 parents sent their son to play for UofL before the ruling was out. The larger concern / question is, why would any parent send their kid to play for a guy that doesn’t know his *** from his elbow when it comes to running a successful program? Because he’s a nice guy?

I don’t think the basketball community has the same impression as you do about Kenny Payne, but we will see. Maybe it was more about Louisville and its issues.

It is my opinion the NCAA ruling made it very challenging. I look at from my perspective and I wouldn’t have sent my son to Louisville. I understand why players passed coming to Louisville.

Next year there is no NCAA and plenty of playing time. I expect him to land high level players next year at the right spots. If he doesn’t it will not end well.

 

[BPGhost]

I don’t think the basketball community has the same impression as you do about Kenny Payne, but we will see. Maybe it was more about Louisville and its issues.

It is my opinion the NCAA ruling made it very challenging. I look at from my perspective and I wouldn’t have sent my son to Louisville. I understand why players passed coming to Louisville.

Next year there is no NCAA and plenty of playing time. I expect him to land high level players next year at the right spots. If he doesn’t it will not end well.

I’m sure UofL’s issues didn’t help but as it’s been pointed out dozens of times here, an ncaa cloud didn’t stop Kansas or Arizona from high level recruiting or - winning.

Those programs had established coaches with track records that allowed them to continue performing at a high level despite the uncertainty. It seems clear that recruits viewed Payne’s lack of experience warily and he wasn’t able to communicate a plan that overcame those misgivings. In hindsight - those players now look smart. Moving forward rival programs won’t be able to negatively recruit against UofL with the ncaa crap but instead will use Payne’s ineptitude against him.

Which unfortunately, seems way more powerful.

 

[EKYCard643]

He needs to build something. We need to see a foundation for the future. He needs to inspire hope.

Its beating a dead horse but it also needs to be put in context. Someone with more time on their hands can search the history books but you're probably not going to find a major program hire who has done worse in their first season in the modern history of college basketball. I would wager you can go back 40+ years and not find a major hire that has failed as massively as Payne has. He hasn't generated a single reason for optimism in the nearly 11 months he's been here.

So he has to do something. He has to land talent this Summer. He has to generate some buzz and actual high end commitments in the '24 class. Top 25-50 kids. Ideally you'd like to see him lock him a top 5 class and threaten to make the tournament next year. You also want to see that he knows what he's doing. I'll be honest he's looked absolutely lost and so has his teams. I would love, love, love to see him demote Jamison back to the position he had for the last 15 years which was an off court, administrative role and bring in an actual seasoned, former head coach that knows how to develop and teach. We're severely lacking in that regard.

Kenny Payne quiet literally can't do any worse than he's already done and I'm using literally in the literal sense there. If he's here next season and somehow manages to do worse then he's the most incompetent coach in college basketball history.

 

[glassmanJ]

I’m not renewing my season tix regardless of who the coach is. Not getting guys in the transfer portal was recruiting malpractice, which makes it tough to even gauge coaching acumen. Simply put, the tickets are too expensive especially relative to the quality of the product. All that being said I think Payne should and will get another year to get this ship off the bottom of the ocean.

when we we're still facing the possibility of the death penalty up until late fall, who we're we going to get to play here if that kid thought we could possibility not even have a program again, let alone completely missing the tourney? in terms of portal success, the timeline started when the IIAP released us from penalties, so please compile a list of all the players who were still in the portal at this date that kp could have potentially recruited so we can have an honest discussion of whether we had a real chance with those kids. but i beleive you won;t be able to come up with a single recruit int eh portal and thus you're sayign he didn't get any kids, well duh!!! there were none to get. you're blaming him when he had no options to deliver.

basically, your point is moot because there was no one to recruit and KP could not legitimately recruit until the potential sanctions were gone. how hard is that to comprehend? if you were a college player wanting to play in the tourney there's zero fffing chance you'd ever come here, no matter how much money, if you knew you might miss the tourney or you thought that the school may get the death penalty. and every other coach competing for that same recruit will be telling him, or you, the exact same thing.

so the entire argument that he didn't get any players is fffing stupid, there were absolutely none to get. but the clock has started now and he must deliver but saying he didn't bring anyone in while were were still facing sanctions is moronic. no one, i mean no one, was coming here to play until teh sanctions were lifted.

 

[BPGhost]

when we we're still facing the possibility of the death penalty up until late fall, who we're we going to get to play here if that kid thought we could possibility not even have a program again, let alone completely missing the tourney? in terms of portal success, the timeline started when the IIAP released us from penalties, so please compile a list of all the players who were still in the portal at this date that kp could have potentially recruited so we can have an honest discussion of whether we had a real chance with those kids. but i beleive you won;t be able to come up with a single recruit int eh portal and thus you're sayign he didn't get any kids, well duh!!! there were none to get. you're blaming him when he had no options to deliver.

basically, your point is moot because there was no one to recruit and KP could not legitimately recruit until the potential sanctions were gone. how hard is that to comprehend? if you were a college player wanting to play in the tourney there's zero fffing chance you'd ever come here, no matter how much money, if you knew you might miss the tourney or you thought that the school may get the death penalty. and every other coach competing for that same recruit will be telling him, or you, the exact same thing.

so the entire argument that he didn't get any players is fffing stupid, there were absolutely none to get. but the clock has started now and he must deliver but saying he didn't bring anyone in while were were still facing sanctions is moronic. no one, i mean no one, was coming here to play until teh sanctions were lifted.

No one with any knowledge or credibility believed for a second that the death penalty was on the table for UofL - saying that it was is silly and is only being done so to make excuses for Payne’s lack of results in the area that he was supposed to be the strongest.

Reading this and many other of your posts, suggests it’s you and not others - who have comprehension issues.

 

[Knucklehank1]

when we we're still facing the possibility of the death penalty up until late fall, who we're we going to get to play here if that kid thought we could possibility not even have a program again, let alone completely missing the tourney? in terms of portal success, the timeline started when the IIAP released us from penalties, so please compile a list of all the players who were still in the portal at this date that kp could have potentially recruited so we can have an honest discussion of whether we had a real chance with those kids. but i beleive you won;t be able to come up with a single recruit int eh portal and thus you're sayign he didn't get any kids, well duh!!! there were none to get. you're blaming him when he had no options to deliver.

basically, your point is moot because there was no one to recruit and KP could not legitimately recruit until the potential sanctions were gone. how hard is that to comprehend? if you were a college player wanting to play in the tourney there's zero fffing chance you'd ever come here, no matter how much money, if you knew you might miss the tourney or you thought that the school may get the death penalty. and every other coach competing for that same recruit will be telling him, or you, the exact same thing.

so the entire argument that he didn't get any players is fffing stupid, there were absolutely none to get. but the clock has started now and he must deliver but saying he didn't bring anyone in while were were still facing sanctions is moronic. no one, i mean no one, was coming here to play until teh sanctions were lifted.

So did BHH, Lands and Basili not get the memo? Somehow Bellarmine was able to get enough players to beat us. And frankly, if there was no possibility to compete then the athletic department should’ve taken some measures to help foster the product at home games.

 

[EKYCard643]

The "IARP" scared off kids angle needs to die. The IARP investigation has literally - not hurt a single other program. Kansas had the most involvement in the investigation and the most charges hanging over them and what happened to them last year? What about Arizona? Auburn?

I will say this.....if IARP scared off EVERY decent player we had a shot at then that doesn't bode well for the future of this staff landing anyone because it means they're bad recruiters. As I said, literally every program in the country has managed to keep moving and not miss a beat. Not UofL apparently. It destroyed our program because people were spreading mean rumors.....wah, wah, wah.

Nobody thought UofL was going to get the death penalty and this staff should have been able to make that abundantly clear while recruiting.

 

[Ipartiedwithhopgood_rivals307205]

I don't know if he could truly recover from this season. But if he returns, you'd think we'd need to see many more wins and pass some kind of eyeball test that convinces us it's a major improvement from this year.

 

[Guardman]

There is no way our Louisville Men's Basketball Program can ever resurrect itself to its Camelot days. Flat out impossible now.

UNLESS:

The program instantly jettisons "non-coach" Kenny Payne right now. Show to the world we will not tolerate this incompetence and malfeasance. Pay $10m in guaranteed payouts. Get him and his junk outa here. Now. And hire the absolute best available fantastic coach for at least $7m a year. For at least 8 years guaranteed.

 

[Cardiac Red]

There is no way our Louisville Men's Basketball Program can ever resurrect itself to its Camelot days. Flat out impossible now.

UNLESS:

The program instantly jettisons "non-coach" Kenny Payne right now. Show to the world we will not tolerate this incompetence and malfeasance. Pay $10m in guaranteed payouts. Get him and his junk outa here. Now. And hire the absolute best available fantastic coach for at least $7m a year. For at least 8 years guaranteed.

This

 

[OldhamCard335]

To the original question…..my feeling is that we are now at a fork in the road. One path shows continued improvement bringing with it increased confidence by the players and increased support from the fan base. The other path looks like the past six weeks have looked resulting in players checking out and looking to the portal and fans continuing to withhold their support for the coach and the program. The next few games will most likely show the path we take.

If we take path #1, KP gets another year but then the hard work starts. He’ll need a complete roster rebuild. Many players will leave. Recruits will still be reluctant to join a program with such poor results and next year doesn’t look much better than this year. No year three is given.

If we take path #2, we should take the “Guardman Proposal” as he detailed above.

We’ll know our path by the end of January.

 

[Villecard502_rivals]

Assuming he gets a year 2 at all, he will need at least a .500 record to get a year 3. Making the NCAA tourney in year 2 will get him an extension and a raise.

I may be one of a very small minority, but I think adding one veteran PG and one veteran SG out of the portal, and convincing BHH, Withers, Lands, Traynor, James, Basili, Ree, Miller, and Wheeler to return would give us a team that could post at least a .500 season next year.

non-NCAA tourney next year IF he doesn't get fired is unacceptable. NCAA tourney is MINIMUM expectation every year.

 

[2330859]

Regrettably, I do not see any resolution for this BB program in the immediate, or even near future.

As Zipp points out, our economics make it difficult to make any change, and the ACC schedule adds to the difficulty in becoming sufficiently competitive to return to the Big Dance. KP is a fine person, but it is clearly evident that he is was I’ll-prepared to be a HC at this level.

 

[TheRealVille]

I think the bickering by fans over KP's recruiting has merit on both sides, but most of these fans don't consider that both opinions can be correct.

First and foremost, the belief that UofL was going to be hit hard with sanctions was real to any recruit or transfer. Louisville was not like Kansas or Arizona or LSU because UofL was a repeat offender. This program was much farther down the line for serious sanctions than the other schools.

The stripper scandal was much more than a NCAA violation, it was seen as reprehensible and this alone would have many parents of HS players from seriously considering Louisville. The FBI sting then cemented UofL as an out of control program that despite the firings of Pitino and Jurich, led most HS kids to look elsewhere.

The hiring of KP didn't help with this perception as the program seemingly was admitting it was going to be awhile before Louisville could return to its prominent status. No big name or up and coming coach would take the job had to mean tough times ahead for UofL basketball.

So HS players were pretty much out of the equation. The two that did sign were recruited by Chris Mack and probably had more information about the programs potential status to escape serious violations, unlike other recruits.

It was the grad transfer market where KP was really behind the 8 ball. These players for the most part, had just one season left of college hoops, and who could really blame them for not choosing Louisville? Unlike Kansas, who just won the NCAA title, Louisville was in a huge mess and even if the death penalty wasn't likely, a multiple year ban from post season was very possible.

So any transfer had to consider that plus the likelihood that Louisville, with a first time head coach wasn't going to be good enough to make the postseason even if there wasn't a ban. It was just a perfect storm that was going to pound the program, especially in year one of the new regime. Now I do agree KP probably was a bit naive and figured he could land some transfers and it was too late when he realized he wasn't going to get anybody. I don't know if it's true he passed on some transfers thinking he was going to get a better one, but it wouldn't surprise me.

BHH wasn't a grad transfer and why he stuck with KP is a question I can only guess at. Knowing he had 3 more seasons could be it or he may have had a relationship with KP prior?

The bottom line for me is the lack of transfers and recruits were due to the program being in limbo on everything. Coming off a bad losing season with a rookie head coach, trying to navigate serious NCAA violations for a program being held with disdain across the country just wasn't going to yield positive results. So most everyone said no thanks to Louisville.

And looking at the 2 and 13 record seems to validate their concerns.

This first season KP gets a pass regardless if he's the man for the job or not. No one expected a winning season but no one expected being the worst team in power conference basketball either. Year two, starting with recruiting will tell the tale if KP survives.

We're at the point now that many fans hope the team plays competitive ball down the stretch and shows improvement and potential but many fans are leary of this because it may give KP more time to prove he can do the job which is something they don't believe is possible.

For me, I want to win but I'm not yet sold KP will.

 

[KerryRhodes]

Only thing he can do to satisfy me is to resign.

 

[Cardiac Red]

I think the bickering by fans over KP's recruiting has merit on both sides, but most of these fans don't consider that both opinions can be correct.

First and foremost, the belief that UofL was going to be hit hard with sanctions was real to any recruit or transfer. Louisville was not like Kansas or Arizona or LSU because UofL was a repeat offender. This program was much farther down the line for serious sanctions than the other schools.

The stripper scandal was much more than a NCAA violation, it was seen as reprehensible and this alone would have many parents of HS players from seriously considering Louisville. The FBI sting then cemented UofL as an out of control program that despite the firings of Pitino and Jurich, led most HS kids to look elsewhere.

The hiring of KP didn't help with this perception as the program seemingly was admitting it was going to be awhile before Louisville could return to its prominent status. No big name or up and coming coach would take the job had to mean tough times ahead for UofL basketball.

So HS players were pretty much out of the equation. The two that did sign were recruited by Chris Mack and probably had more information about the programs potential status to escape serious violations, unlike other recruits.

It was the grad transfer market where KP was really behind the 8 ball. These players for the most part, had just one season left of college hoops, and who could really blame them for not choosing Louisville? Unlike Kansas, who just won the NCAA title, Louisville was in a huge mess and even if the death penalty wasn't likely, a multiple year ban from post season was very possible.

So any transfer had to consider that plus the likelihood that Louisville, with a first time head coach wasn't going to be good enough to make the postseason even if there wasn't a ban. It was just a perfect storm that was going to pound the program, especially in year one of the new regime. Now I do agree KP probably was a bit naive and figured he could land some transfers and it was too late when he realized he wasn't going to get anybody. I don't know if it's true he passed on some transfers thinking he was going to get a better one, but it wouldn't surprise me.

BHH wasn't a grad transfer and why he stuck with KP is a question I can only guess at. Knowing he had 3 more seasons could be it or he may have had a relationship with KP prior?

The bottom line for me is the lack of transfers and recruits were due to the program being in limbo on everything. Coming off a bad losing season with a rookie head coach, trying to navigate serious NCAA violations for a program being held with disdain across the country just wasn't going to yield positive results. So most everyone said no thanks to Louisville.

And looking at the 2 and 13 record seems to validate their concerns.

This first season KP gets a pass regardless if he's the man for the job or not. No one expected a winning season but no one expected being the worst team in power conference basketball either. Year two, starting with recruiting will tell the tale if KP survives.

We're at the point now that many fans hope the team plays competitive ball down the stretch and shows improvement and potential but many fans are leary of this because it may give KP more time to prove he can do the job which is something they don't believe is possible.

For me, I want to win but I'm not yet sold KP will.

Very few facts in this novel. Most of that is just your opinion you have no idea what anybody was thinking..

This program was much farther down the line for serious sanctions than the other schools.

As it turns out this obviously isn't/wasn't true. We got nothing. We may have been a repeat offender but our infractions were level 3. Kansas had 7 level one violations !! 7 !! Auburn had coaches picked up and taken away in handcuffs. Arizona's Shawn Miller was caught red handed on several counts and got fired.. Pitino got NOTHING !

 

[TheRealVille]

I'm sorry for the length as I have a tendency to write long posts. But that's what writers do I'm afraid.

Of course it's my opinion. Figured that was a given. This opinion of mine includes the belief a program on probation faces more punitive damages than a first offender. Plus you need to remember, when the FBI sting happened, Louisville was at the head of the story.

It turned out to be BS but it took five years and that is in my opinion, the reason Louisville hoops is where it's at today.

 

[2330859]

KP has a lot of legitimate excuses based on the roster he inherited, and the other kids he was able to attract/missed on that were affected by potential NCAA sanctions.

That still does not completely answer the question as to whether he can be successful as the head coach at UL.

Personally, I do not considerJohn Calipari as a good coach

I'm sorry for the length as I have a tendency to write long posts. But that's what writers do I'm afraid.

Of course it's my opinion. Figured that was a given. This opinion of mine includes the belief a program on probation faces more punitive damages than a first offender. Plus you need to remember, when the FBI sting happened, Louisville was at the head of the story.

It turned out to be BS but it took five years and that is in my opinion, the reason Louisville hoops is where it's at today.

I am just one opinion Real, but I appreciated your post and there is no reason for you to apologize for the length of any of your expressions. Conversely, some posts are so abbreviated that I am not sure the intent or meaning.

Regardless, your are entitled to your opinion and while we may not agree on everything, your contribution (large or small) is always welcome as far as I am concerned.

 

[Thecycle27]

Fans will be fans. I like that the only history that matters are the good times. Everything that brought the program down had no impact on the current situation. They ignore a really good coach failed in the same environment. A coach that was better than any coach on the last search.

This boils down to 1 thing, the fire KP fans don’t trust KP. He didn’t have the coaching background. It would have been nearly impossible for him to gain their support in year one because all of their concerns were going to be validated. The way the season has gone they aren’t changing their opinion nor should they.

I am not changing my opinion it was an absolute mess and we won’t know until next year if he is the right guy for the job. College sports has always been about Jimmy’s & Joe’s not X and O’s.

 

[BPGhost]

Regardless, your are entitled to your opinion and while we may not agree on everything, your contribution (large or small) is always welcome as far as I am concerned.

Lol - says the guy who’s spirit is so brittle that he put multiple long term posters - intelligent people who have legit opinions like Hank and NCCard - on ignore.

Guess your reading list is getting short enough that you feel the need to pander.

 

[BPGhost]

Fans will be fans. I like that the only history that matters are the good times. Everything that brought the program down had no impact on the current situation. They ignore a really good coach failed in the same environment. A coach that was better than any coach on the last search.

This boils down to 1 thing, the fire KP fans don’t trust KP. He didn’t have the coaching background. It would have been nearly impossible for him to gain their support in year one because all of their concerns were going to be validated. The way the season has gone they aren’t changing their opinion nor should they.

I am not changing my opinion it was an absolute mess and we won’t know until next year if he is the right guy for the job. College sports has always been about Jimmy’s & Joe’s not X and O’s.

As a “fire KP fan”, it has nothing to do with trust in him. It was the sincere belief that he did not have the experience to be ready for a HC position at a school like UofL. Couple that with the fact that I’m not a fan of the type of program that Fat Cal (KP’s mentor) runs and I didn’t want to see an attempt to implement it at UofL.

With that said, I was supportive of him after he got the job and hopeful that I was wrong. Had he provided an entertaining product where the team played hard and competed game in and game out - which IMO would have them at least close to .500, I’d still be supportive.

I continue to hope that I’m wrong long term but after this national debacle where he looks for all the world to see as out of his depth, I don’t know why anyone would reasonably believe that he’d be able to pull the type of players he needs to make this uk lite program successful.

 

[Guardman]

Louisville should have hired a previously successful HEAD MBB coach (meaning a major college head coach who at least had more wins than losses). Basically they should not have hired someone at THIS LEVEL who was not a clear proven winner ... at the HEAD coach level.

And of course the University was looking for someone who had local connections and roots, hopefully with the University itself.

The problem is that there's almost no living male human that fits this bill. It's what is called a null set or empty set. Despite only two set conditions, still no one could be found to meet these very minimal criteria.

They chose to go with local connections/roots as the main requirement, and they watered down the coaching resume requirement.

So now we have a 56-year old man who has never had a prior head coaching job. And who has 4 years of history with the program.

 

[Thecycle27]

As a “fire KP fan”, it has nothing to do with trust in him. It was the sincere belief that he did not have the experience to be ready for a HC position at a school like UofL. Couple that with the fact that I’m not a fan of the type of program that Fat Cal (KP’s mentor) runs and I didn’t want to see an attempt to implement it at UofL.

With that said, I was supportive of him after he got the job and hopeful that I was wrong. Had he provided an entertaining product where the team played hard and competed game in and game out - which IMO would have them at least close to .500, I’d still be supportive.

I continue to hope that I’m wrong long term but after this national debacle where he looks for all the world to see as out of his depth, I don’t know why anyone would reasonably believe that he’d be able to pull the type of players he needs to make this uk lite program successful.

We can argue why they missed in the portal. Let’s just focus on the current roster.

Why did you think this team would be .500? A roster that wasn’t .500, lost 13 of last 15 then lost 70 percent of the scoring due coaching change or other factors.

 

[BPGhost]

We can argue why they missed in the portal. Let’s just focus on the current roster.

Why did you think this team would be .500? A roster that wasn’t .500, lost 13 of last 15 then lost 70 percent of the scoring due coaching change or other factors.

I didn’t say that they would be .500 - I said that IMO this group could be near .500 with better coaching. Were KP to have developed a coherent plan for THIS group of players and, gotten them to play hard, that could have been the result.

The problem is, KP’s only plan is to implement a uk lite system which does not work without multiple high level players. Even then, you have to get them to buy in to that system which, as we’ve seen in a lot of years at uk, doesn’t happen. It’s a terrible model to base a program on but, he’s got nothing else.

There’s not a doubt in my mind that there are a number of coaches that could have this group above, at or close to .500 for the season. We used to employ one of those guys just a few years back.

 

[Cardiac Red]

We can argue why they missed in the portal. Let’s just focus on the current roster.

Why did you think this team would be .500? A roster that wasn’t .500, lost 13 of last 15 then lost 70 percent of the scoring due coaching change or other factors.

People always want to focus on the losing 13 of the last 15. There were a lot of reasons for that. Coaching turnover was one particular reason for that, Mack got the shaft from Bendapuddy on the Dino situation and he checked out, i really dont blame him. Then Pegues took over and he wasn't close to a Chris Mack type coach. Also you forget we started the year at 9-3 and won the Bahamas tournament. Even Pegues was not getting blown out. Most of those losses were by less than 10 points.

KP could have held onto some of those kids he sent packing and they could be making a difference for us this year. Let's face it, KP has done absolutely nothing good since he's been here..

He gotta go !!