Gotta feel for Payne

[IL Wildcat]

I was reading his comments in this article by Bozich (Payne's last remaining media supporter, I do believe) and you can feel the frustration coming from his words...

BOZICH | Payne says coaches and players deserve blame for Louisville's disappointing season

Huntley-Hatfield recommended everybody in the U of L locker room invest in some "soul-searching."

www.wdrb.com

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel for Louisville, never will. But I really do hate it for Payne because I think he's truly a good person who loves his players and tries to do his job with integrity.

 

[UK90]

Meh. I think I can find more deserving recipients of my pity than a guy being paid millions of dollars to be bad at his job.

 

[WeWant9]

Yeah, I like Payne but I don’t feel sorry for him. He knew the mess he was getting into and has been paid more money than I’ll probably see in my lifetime. He is also about to get $8 million to “go away.” I bet he ends up back in the NBA as an assistant.

 

[rolaid]

Payne was not qualified- his work ethic is poor and has shown to be a fraud. He’s no big man guru or elite recruiter Louisville fans got played because Jerry Eaves Butch Beard and former African American players wanted one of there own be a head coach - he was only close option hopefully AD listens to them again 😁

 

[sambowieshin]

Feel bad for him so far as he came back to try and salvage a program on life support and has helped to make it worse.
I am not a Cards fan but would have liked to have seen him at least make Louisville respectable again as a coach from Cal's coaching tree.
UofL probably needs to quit hiring ex UK coaches.

 

[crawfords corner]

Next season, when they win 10-12 games, will it be Kenny Payne's fault? Gave him a Geo Metro and expected him to turn it into a Bugatti Chiron SS basically overnight 🤣

Can't wait until their top "targets" turn them down

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

I wish I could pull down $3.35 million/yr, coach basketball (poorly), and still get pity from people cause I’m a good dude.

 

[Lempface]

I like Kenny but hey if you wanna coach the enemy don’t expect any remorse from me.

 

[katwest]

This has to be a blow to his confidence, nobody really ever knew what kind of head coach he would be. The timing of him going back to Louisville when the program was down and still reeling from Pitino and Jurich wasn't the best move he could make. Who knows if he will ever get another shot as head man at a division 1 school. I don't think he will have a problem getting an assistant job though.

 

[oakhillcatman]

Who do you think could win at Louisville? Cal, Selfe,Pearl, It is going to take some time and a lot of money

 

[BlueWorldOrder74]

I really don’t want this to seem like a shot at Kenny, but it may sound that way. I don’t know the guy. Seems like a good guy. But I have a friend who knows Kenny fairly well. He told me when Kenny was hired that he was a pretty lazy dude, compared to what it takes to succeed as a head man. Take it for what it’s worth. Not from me, just sharing.

 

[On-On-UK]

Louisville deserves the $hitshow situation their program is in.
Payne was well aware of the pressure and expectations his first head coaching job demanded.
I feel confident his stress is relieved and he sleeps well when he goes to bed at night and rests his head on a big fat bag of cash...

 

[MidseasonTweak]

I also feel for Payne and can look beyond being at Louisville. This hurts his future chances to coach again.

 

[WeWant9]

I really don’t want this to seem like a shot at Kenny, but it may sound that way. I don’t know the guy. Seems like a good guy. But I have a friend who knows Kenny fairly well. He told me when Kenny was hired that he was a pretty lazy dude, compared to what it takes to succeed as a head man. Take it for what it’s worth. Not from me, just sharing.

He does have a laid back demeanor, which is great for an assistant but not the best for the head guy. I know ul had a black cloud over them, but I will admit I have been shocked at his lack of results with recruiting hs kids and the portal.

 

[crestcat]

Uvel needs to get one of those coaches off the Denny Crum coaching tree.

 

[FurdTerguson]

U of L should hire Gregg Marshall. I hope like hell they don't. But that's who they should go after.

 

[IL Wildcat]

He does have a laid back demeanor, which is great for an assistant but not the best for the head guy. I know ul had a black cloud over them, but I will admit I have been shocked at his lack of results with recruiting hs kids and the portal.

Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head WeWant9. Payne's demeanor is perfect for being an assistant- a players' coach, if you will- but not so good (as we've now seen) for being the head man. I've been saying for the last 2 seasons that Payne was always the "good cop" and Cal was always the "bad cop" when they worked together. Payne would take a guy around his shoulder and whisper in his ear and encourage the player that it was gonna be fine. But what happens when it's time to lay down the law or set a guy straight? What happens when you've got to be brutally honest and it's time to shape up or ship out? That's where I think Payne's laid-back demeanor causes him problems as a head coach. I don't think being the "bad cop" is in him.

And look, there is no shame in that. My wife and I have different temperaments and we have learned to work together in dealing with our kids. I would think there are some similarities in coaching. I'm the laid back and gentle one and she's the brutally honest one. Sometimes my laid back-ness gets me in trouble. Sometimes her brutal honesty gets her in trouble, but we work together. A head coach has got to have a little bit of both in them, in my opinion. Payne has the laid-back, gentle and loving side but not the brutal honesty side. Unless he can get an assistant who can hold feet to the fire and give them the authority to speak for him, he will struggle. I don't know how much your temperament can be changed. It's like your personality DNA. I don't think his problem is laziness. I think it's temperament.

By the way, for those who don't know. I'm an associate pastor at a church and have been on a church staff since I was 18, which was back in 1990. There has always been, among people called into ministry, to keep striving to become a senior pastor. It was kind of an unwritten expectation when I was in seminary. But as I've had different experiences, I've learned that I shouldn't seek to be the lead pastor necessarily. I don't mind playing a secondary role, which is almost as important for the church as the senior pastor. My temperament was made for associate, in my opinion. So, I'm fine with that. I think Payne should seek to be an associate as well. That's my 2 cents.

 

[ck-2]

They should’ve hired a good coach who could’ve built through the portal and coached them up. That would’ve been their quickest way to turn it around. Instead they hired a guy who coached under a guy who depends solely on recruiting five star players with little coaching other than being a life coach. And it’s showing.

 

[DreadLox]

Meh. I think I can find more deserving recipients of my pity than a guy being paid millions of dollars to be bad at his job.

The quality of mercy is not strained. It drppeth like the gentle rain upon the place beneath. It wetteth every shoe in sight.

Or so I’m told.

 

[Elliott Tim]

I was reading his comments in this article by Bozich (Payne's last remaining media supporter, I do believe) and you can feel the frustration coming from his words...

BOZICH | Payne says coaches and players deserve blame for Louisville's disappointing season

Huntley-Hatfield recommended everybody in the U of L locker room invest in some "soul-searching."

www.wdrb.com

Don't get me wrong. I don't feel for Louisville, never will. But I really do hate it for Payne because I think he's truly a good person who loves his players and tries to do his job with integrity.

I see him as a good big man teacher and what he makes matters nil to me. More power to those that are paid a prevailing wage .

 

[bowfreak]

Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head WeWant9. Payne's demeanor is perfect for being an assistant- a players' coach, if you will- but not so good (as we've now seen) for being the head man. I've been saying for the last 2 seasons that Payne was always the "good cop" and Cal was always the "bad cop" when they worked together. Payne would take a guy around his shoulder and whisper in his ear and encourage the player that it was gonna be fine. But what happens when it's time to lay down the law or set a guy straight? What happens when you've got to be brutally honest and it's time to shape up or ship out? That's where I think Payne's laid-back demeanor causes him problems as a head coach. I don't think being the "bad cop" is in him.

And look, there is no shame in that. My wife and I have different temperaments and we have learned to work together in dealing with our kids. I would think there are some similarities in coaching. I'm the laid back and gentle one and she's the brutally honest one. Sometimes my laid back-ness gets me in trouble. Sometimes her brutal honesty gets her in trouble, but we work together. A head coach has got to have a little bit of both in them, in my opinion. Payne has the laid-back, gentle and loving side but not the brutal honesty side. Unless he can get an assistant who can hold feet to the fire and give them the authority to speak for him, he will struggle. I don't know how much your temperament can be changed. It's like your personality DNA. I don't think his problem is laziness. I think it's temperament.

By the way, for those who don't know. I'm an associate pastor at a church and have been on a church staff since I was 18, which was back in 1990. There has always been, among people called into ministry, to keep striving to become a senior pastor. It was kind of an unwritten expectation when I was in seminary. But as I've had different experiences, I've learned that I shouldn't seek to be the lead pastor necessarily. I don't mind playing a secondary role, which is almost as important for the church as the senior pastor. My temperament was made for associate, in my opinion. So, I'm fine with that. I think Payne should seek to be an associate as well. That's my 2 cents.

Interesting. I wouldn't have necessarily guessed pastor, but it is obvious that you are different or set apart in a good way. Keep fighting the good fight sir.

 

[K_TIME]

They should’ve hired a good coach who could’ve built through the portal and coached them up. That would’ve been their quickest way to turn it around. Instead they hired a guy who coached under a guy who depends solely on recruiting five star players with little coaching other than being a life coach. And it’s showing.

Agreed 100%

 

[WildcatsAndBourbon]

Payne needed to be a head coach at a smaller/less demanding school first. I’m not sure if he would have succeeded in that position either, because if you guys are right, he may be too chill, but at least he could have gotten aquatinted with the extra tasks to be a head coach and high majors could have had more perspective to evaluate his abilities. If he was going to be bad as a head coach no matter what though, at least he cashed in in his one shot instead of failing while only making a couple hundred thousand a season.

 

[Deli owl]

I don’t feel for anyone who works or plays at U6. Their choice to do so.

 

[IL Wildcat]

Interesting. I wouldn't have necessarily guessed pastor, but it is obvious that you are different or set apart in a good way. Keep fighting the good fight sir.

I'll take that as a big compliment my friend. 😀

 

[IL Wildcat]

Payne needed to be a head coach at a smaller/less demanding school first. I’m not sure if he would have succeeded in that position either, because if you guys are right, he may be too chill, but at least he could have gotten aquatinted with the extra tasks to be a head coach and high majors could have had more perspective to evaluate his abilities. If he was going to be bad as a head coach no matter what though, at least he cashed in in his one shot instead of failing while only making a couple hundred thousand a season.

Yes, I agree with that. It's possible he could have done ok at a smaller school, with less pressure and less competition. There is no doubt, he was thrown into the fire here. It's like the story my dad tells about learning to swim at Boy Scout camp. They just took the boys down to the river and threw them in. It's sink or swim at that point. That's what they did to Payne here. And he sank, unfortunately.

 

[pastorbob]

Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head WeWant9. Payne's demeanor is perfect for being an assistant- a players' coach, if you will- but not so good (as we've now seen) for being the head man. I've been saying for the last 2 seasons that Payne was always the "good cop" and Cal was always the "bad cop" when they worked together. Payne would take a guy around his shoulder and whisper in his ear and encourage the player that it was gonna be fine. But what happens when it's time to lay down the law or set a guy straight? What happens when you've got to be brutally honest and it's time to shape up or ship out? That's where I think Payne's laid-back demeanor causes him problems as a head coach. I don't think being the "bad cop" is in him.

And look, there is no shame in that. My wife and I have different temperaments and we have learned to work together in dealing with our kids. I would think there are some similarities in coaching. I'm the laid back and gentle one and she's the brutally honest one. Sometimes my laid back-ness gets me in trouble. Sometimes her brutal honesty gets her in trouble, but we work together. A head coach has got to have a little bit of both in them, in my opinion. Payne has the laid-back, gentle and loving side but not the brutal honesty side. Unless he can get an assistant who can hold feet to the fire and give them the authority to speak for him, he will struggle. I don't know how much your temperament can be changed. It's like your personality DNA. I don't think his problem is laziness. I think it's temperament.

By the way, for those who don't know. I'm an associate pastor at a church and have been on a church staff since I was 18, which was back in 1990. There has always been, among people called into ministry, to keep striving to become a senior pastor. It was kind of an unwritten expectation when I was in seminary. But as I've had different experiences, I've learned that I shouldn't seek to be the lead pastor necessarily. I don't mind playing a secondary role, which is almost as important for the church as the senior pastor. My temperament was made for associate, in my opinion. So, I'm fine with that. I think Payne should seek to be an associate as well. That's my 2 cents.

After almost 40 years as senior Pastor and 10 as Assoc. Pastor, you are indeed a breath of fresh air. You said "which is almost as important for the church as the senior pastor". I would like to tell you my view; you are the most important person to your Pastor and Church. I have trained over 100 young people to become Pastors, Missionaries and Evangelists. I could not have done that without the help of associate Pastors! I cannot put out all the fires in the Church, they make sure to extinguish them when they are small. Every Associate Pastor I have had have all had better people skills than I have. God gives me direction for our Church to go in, ministries to start, peoples to touch, but they make it happen not me!
No Church grows without Associate Pastors willing to prop up the Church and yes the Senior Pastor. All who are called must come to serve and my brother you are indeed a blessing to your Church and your Pastor. He is probably like me and sometimes forgets all the work you do in the trenches, so I want to thank you and more importantly you are a blessing to the Lord!

 

[IL Wildcat]

After almost 40 years as senior Pastor and 10 as Assoc. Pastor, you are indeed a breath of fresh air. You said "which is almost as important for the church as the senior pastor". I would like to tell you my view; you are the most important person to your Pastor and Church. I have trained over 100 young people to become Pastors, Missionaries and Evangelists. I could not have done that without the help of associate Pastors! I cannot put out all the fires in the Church, they make sure to extinguish them when they are small. Every Associate Pastor I have had have all had better people skills than I have. God gives me direction for our Church to go in, ministries to start, peoples to touch, but they make it happen not me!
No Church grows without Associate Pastors willing to prop up the Church and yes the Senior Pastor. All who are called must come to serve and my brother you are indeed a blessing to your Church and your Pastor. He is probably like me and sometimes forgets all the work you do in the trenches, so I want to thank you and more importantly you are a blessing to the Lord!

Wow Pastor Bob, that was unexpected! Thanks for that brother. I have a great pastor, though. He's the best I've worked with in my 30+ years. I'm blessed because of him. We work well together and see eye to eye on pretty much everything, which makes my stress level very low. I couldn't ask for anything more. 😀

 

[FurdTerguson]

Louisville would be stupid to think they can fire him and find someone better. How many times have you heard 'No Payne, no gain"??? C'mon man.

 

[nssdigitalchumps]

I wish I could pull down $3.35 million/yr, coach basketball (poorly), and still get pity from people cause I’m a good dude.

Well, step one is becoming a good dude. Let us know when you get there.

 

[Fox2monk]

Payne was not qualified- his work ethic is poor and has shown to be a fraud. He’s no big man guru or elite recruiter Louisville fans got played because Jerry Eaves Butch Beard and former African American players wanted one of there own be a head coach - he was only close option hopefully AD listens to them again 😁

I don’t think he’s a fraud, he’s just a career number 2 guy. He did his job well here. That’s where he belongs. He’s not head coaching material and it was obvious with all the years he’s been an assistant.

 

[Jeff2Reed]

I don’t think he’s a fraud, he’s just a career number 2 guy. He did his job well here. That’s where he belongs. He’s not head coaching material and it was obvious with all the years he’s been an assistant.

I don’t think he’s even that, Payne really has shown to be pretty terrible, and I wouldn’t want him back here. As I said years ago, he didn’t recruit much for us, the development talk of our bigs never made sense to me, and he’s showing now how little he understands about coaching. I mean, it’s not just a typical “he didn’t make it”. This isn’t Josh Pastner. He’s God awful. He was just a yes man to Calipari and he liked him. He was good to be there for the players to talk to. That’s about it.