Kentucky basketball loses ‘a foundational piece’ with departure of Kenny Payne
Kentucky basketball lost a “foundational piece” of its program Tuesday, which Coach John Calipari called a “bittersweet day.”
That’s how UK announced that associate coach Kenny Payne had accepted an assistant coaching position with the New York Knicks.
During Payne’s 10 seasons on the Kentucky staff, the program won 295 games and the 2012 NCAA Tournament championship. That decade also included four Final Four appearances in a five-year period: 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2015. That was an unprecedented achievement even for a UK program rich in accomplishments. UK went to three straight Final Fours beginning in 1996 and three in a four-year period beginning in 1948.
“First of all, I want to thank Dr. Eli Capilouto, Mitch Barnhart and Coach Cal for the unbelievable opportunity I’ve had at Kentucky for the last 10 years,” Payne said in a news release. “I’ve been blessed to not only coach at the greatest program in college basketball but to be in a position to help young men grow and develop and to play a part in their families’ lives. They’ve been 10 of the most rewarding years of my life, and I’ll cherish my time in Lexington for the rest of my career.”
As he said on Saturday, Payne noted the difficulty in having what he considered two attractive options to choose from.
“This decision wasn’t easy for me,” he said in the news release. “I have a great job at Kentucky, and to think about leaving has been one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I have also been offered an incredible opportunity with the New York Knicks and a chance to help restore what I believe should be the premier organization in the NBA.”
Payne thanked the Big Blue Nation for its support, calling UK fans the best in college basketball and a “major ingredient to what makes UK special.”
Kentucky said he would launch “an immediate national search” for Payne’s replacement. Speculation has centered on Indiana assistant James “Bruiser” Flint, who worked on Calipari’s staff at UMass. The two have remained close.
While at Kentucky, Payne gained a reputation for enhancing the play of big men. He worked with such stars as Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, Bam Adebayo, Kevin Knox and Skal Labissiere. Incidentally, Knox and Randle are on the Knicks’ 2020 roster.
“This is a bittersweet day for us at Kentucky,” Calipari said of Payne’s departure. “Kenny has been an extremely important part of our success here. His relationship with our players is second to none. He coaches them and challenges them as hard as anyone, but they respect him, they listen to him and they learn from him because they know he cares. As a basketball coach and a teacher, he could run any program in the country. Simply, he’s as good as they get.”
That Payne never was hired as a college head coach became a puzzlement.
“I was disappointed that Kenny didn’t get that chance, but this is one of those opportunities Kenny had to look at, and I fully support his decision to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff,” Calipari said. “Kenny’s approach with his players, his knowledge of and his experience in the game, and his work ethic will serve him well on the professional level. I have high expectations for him in the NBA. For Julius Randle and Kevin Knox, it will be immediate, but as other players get to know and trust him, they’ll know he’s about one thing: their improvement and their success. I have no doubt that Kenny is going to be a great asset to Coach Thibodeau’s staff.”
Calipari said he has always supported his assistants fulfilling their basketball dreams by becoming head coaches. On the occasions when Calipari was ejected, Payne became the temporary head coach. That happened most recently at Arkansas last season in a game Kentucky rallied to win 73-66.
Payne was an assistant coach at Oregon for six seasons before joining Kentucky in 2010. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2014.
In 2020, Payne was named to the A STEP UP Assistant Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2020 for his track record of success, outstanding and significant contributions to the game, and his high character, integrity and respect among colleagues.
“For 10 years, Kenny Payne has been a foundational piece of the success of Kentucky men’s basketball,” UK Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart said in a release. “He is a great coach of fundamentals and did a superb job of developing young college players into NBA-level talent. Combine that with his ability to build relationships and mentor players, and you have an outstanding coach. I look forward to keeping up with his success.”
