Looking back is anyone surprised at just HOW Far Kenny Payne was in over his head as a head Coach ?
- Thread starter Uncle Adolph
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His ineptitude was pitiful, yes. His complete denial of his ineptitude and failure to take responsibility was even worse. But then again, he learned everything from Cal, so… not surprising.
You can see this at several places. Former players don’t always translate into great coaches. Stackhouse at Vanderbilt was a train wreck
Cal taught him everything he knows and it showed
He just needed two or three more years to right the ship. They should've kept him.
I was thinking yesterday about UL winning the last few days and how KP was just so inept. In today’s CBB world it’s very reasonable to get a program on its feet quickly. Kelsey has done that so far. Just shows how bad KP was.
It shocked me. He did okay coaching on the floor when Cal got ejected, but under his tenure the entire UL program was a zoo. I figured he could maintain institutional control better than that but I guess not. I guess tactics don't equal strategy.
First off, Kenny is not a head coach. His personality was so much like Joker's in that they were so laid back, little to no emotion, didn't like to talk during the game or to the media and they always tried to be buddies with their players instead of being a leader.
The only thing KP learned from Kal is how to recruit and he wasn't even good at that. It's no wonder he failed miserably as a HC.
The only thing KP learned from Kal is how to recruit and he wasn't even good at that. It's no wonder he failed miserably as a HC.
Yeah, Payne was always the good cop to Calipari's bad cop. Payne is a guy who should never be a head coach but could be a solid 2nd. He's just too nice. Of course, these days, with Calipari being all about a "players first" program, there will be no holding feet to the fire. Cal needs a bad cop on his staff now, but he got Payne and Brad, so it's a bad mix in Arkansas.
Cal has never had one of his long time assistants ever be mildly successful as a head coach. Given that, until he does, we shouldn't be surprised.
Calipari’s coaching “tree” is more like a dead twig. It’s no surprise his right-hand man failed spectacularly.
His overall record was 12-52, 5-35 in the ACC.
I am certainly not surprised when you consider who he coached under. Cal's coaching tree is horrendous.
Agreed! Kenny got a raw deal. He was on the verge of beating LeAnn Rhymes College. He had the talent. They almost beat Chattanooga! They gave Coppin State all they can handle. They were on the upward trend. He over doubled his win total his second year from the first. There let go of a guaranteed 13-14 wins this year.
Yeah, that's terrible and there's no way around it. No amount of excuses can explain 12-52. He's just not head coach material. I always thought he was a good person with a good heart, and did very well taking guys under his wing and helping them. But it's very clear he's not a head coach. He was promoted to incompetence. Not everyone who is a good assistant will make a good head coach. He's one of those guys.
I would say that UofL experience has killed any chance of head coach ever again. He is not a HC at all. Cal will get him in good with Brad to make Brad's start into coaching a success.
I think it is unfair to say he isn't head coaching material. Cal's assistant coaches are no different than his players; they appear to suck because of poor coaching. Why would anyone expect an assistant coach to become head coaching material when being mentored by a moron?
I always had my doubts about him being a head coach, there were a bunch of people on here that wanted him to take over for Cal. I think he was a good assistant, not sure he will ever get the chance to be a head coach again.
I really don't want to bash Payne. I've always like him, but I'm just being honest. But he had 2 full seasons at Louisville. I would understand getting off to a slow start, but at some point you have to get some wins. And even if the first season wasn't great, things have to improve the 2nd year. But 12-52? I think he's a good man and a good coach but he's just not a head coach. I don't doubt that Calipari struggled mentoring him, but I don't think you can put the full blame on Cal.
Even if you're taking the "sink or swim" approach with a guy, where you throw him into the water and let them figure it out, you gotta be better than 12-52. He flat out drowned at UofL.
If there are any doubts about the Cal effect, all you have to do is look at how bad he makes top quality college players look. He has taken some of the best talent in the country and made them at times look like hot garbage. When you consider how long Payne was an assistant coach under Cal, you have to realize that Cal taught him everything he knows about being a head coach which isn't good. If Cal's philosophy didn't work for him, no way was it going to work with the little talent Payne had on his teams. Who knows what Cal's record would have been had he not had a lot of 5-star players. I am not trying to make up excuses for Payne but you certainly can't ignore that he worked under Cal and Cal hasn't produced any D1 head coaches.
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