It would be a real shame if Vince Marrow pulled a Kenny Payne, a real shame

Vince Marrow did the unthinkable. Mark Stoops‘ right-hand man is leaving Kentucky to be the general manager for Jeff Brohm at Louisville. It’s shell-shocking news, albeit not totally unprecedented.

Vince Marrow was beloved by Big Blue Nation and an outstanding recruiter, oftentimes receiving more credit than the head coach for attracting players to the school. When former players returned to Lexington, many sought out Marrow first. He had a great relationship with prominent boosters, and when he took the podium to speak to the media, it was often more entertaining than the head coach.

Does that sound familiar?

Kenny Payne checked all of those aforementioned boxes as John Calipari’s right-hand man for a decade at Kentucky. Just before his final season in Lexington, Kyle Tucker wrote thousands of words after former players and NBA stars preached the Gospel of Payne’s excellence as a coach and relationship-builder. Many Kentucky fans wondered how successful John Calipari could be without Payne on his staff, a question many are asking about Mark Stoops today.

Of course, the two situations are not a mirror image. Payne was a former Louisville player who won a National Championship as a Card. He also spent a couple of years in the NBA before he was courted back to Louisville to be the program’s head coach, not the general manager.

Remember what happened once Payne got to Louisville? He was one of the worst coaches in the history of men’s Division I basketball.

Payne lost his first exhibition game to Lenoir-Rhyne. He lost his first regular season game to Bellarmine. He lost 52 games and only won 12 in two years at Louisville.

Kenny Payne brought the once proud Louisville basketball program to the depths of depravity in the blink of an eye. It would be a real shame if another former Kentucky assistant coach quickly flushed the Cardinal football program down the toilet, a real, real shame.

The Shoe has been on the Other Foot

The move from one Governor’s Cup coaching staff to another is not unprecedented either. Lamar Thomas spent two seasons coaching Bobby Petrino’s wide receivers at Louisville before making the move to Kentucky. Once again, it’s not apples to apples, but there are some similarities between the two.

Like Marrow, Thomas was best known for his recruiting acumen. The former Miami wide receiver is responsible for recruiting Lamar Jackson to Louisville. He also wasn’t shy on social media. Once he ditched red for blue, Thomas had a hobby of chirping at Louisville fans on Twitter. That’s part of what made Kentucky’s 2016 Governor’s Cup victory so sweet.

“When I left, there was so much hatred spewed… It was special.  It was special for those guys.  They played their hearts out.  They all thanked me.   I was happy to see them do well.  They’ve been through so much,” Thomas struggled to speak through tears after the UK win. “They knew how much this game meant to me.  I’m just excited for them.”

Thomas only lasted in Lexington for two years. Mark Stoops hired him to be an excellent recruiter and find the next Lamar Jackson. The former Louisville assistant was far from an excellent recruiter at Kentucky. It would be a real shame if Vince Marrow produced similar results at Louisville, a real shame.