Surprised Regretfully, the Cardinals’ suspension from the team raises the possibility that this is it.”

Kenny Payne took over as the head coach of the Cardinals more than 700 days ago. We were duped. We believed that a man with more than eighteen years of experience as an assistant coach could lead U of L basketball back to its former glory. Success has been difficult to come by thus far.

It’s the Peter Principle! KP was successful (according to his bio) at other levels and locations. We know now that in his current situation, he is not. He has reached a level where his past successes have not translated to wins at the highest level! According to the theory  Dr. Peter developed, he is promoted to the “level of his incompetence.”

Louisville is losing at a record pace and to opponents otherwise known as pushovers. Press conferences have become more interesting than games. KP shows a lack of finesse in dealing with the press. Louisville (to date) has no signees for ’24. Only Curtis Williams, Ty-Lau Johnson, Tre White, and Danilo Jovanovich signed after Payne’s hiring. Arguably, all but Jovanovich have made significant contributions this year. Can he recruit going forward, who knows?

I hate it for the players. I hate it for the fans. I hate it for all the Louisville connections on the coaching staff. I hate it for Kenny. He’s a Louisville guy (absent that stint down I-64 at the school that shall remain nameless). I hate it for his teammates and supporters who showed up in March 2022. If Louisville basketball is to have any magical March days in the future, something needs to change.