The Louisville basketball program decided to fire Kenny Payne after a disastrous run. Payne finishes his time at Louisville with a 12-52 overall record and a 5-35 ACC record in just two years. His time in Louisville was full of puzzling moves, and now they are in the market for a head coach.
So, who does Louisville target to be the next head coach? It's a tough position to fill after the last couple of years in the program. On the other hand, the Louisville basketball program is one of the bluebloods in the sport, so it could make for an appealing job for others.
Here are a few candidates to replace Kenny Payne.
Scott Drew, Baylor
Let's start with the most common link first. Baylor coach Scott Drew is going to be the top candidate (and should be) for the job. Drew has been with Baylor since 2003 and has a 444–241 record. He has taken the Bears to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances including winning the national title in 2021. Baylor has won 20 or more games in each of the past six seasons and 12 of the last 13, with the only non-20-game season coming with 19 victories.
On the other hand, Drew and Baylor are bringing in one of the top recruits in 2024, VJ Edgecombe. However, jobs such as Louisville don't come around too often, and the Cardinals could back up the Brinks truck to get the program back on track.
Pat Kelsey, Charleston
Pat Kelsey has had a quick rise over the past few years. He was at Winthrop from 2012–2021 and had 186 wins with two NCAA Tournament trips. With Charleston, Kelsey has compiled a 75-26 record including 30 wins last season before they lost in the first round of the Big Dance to San Diego State (who ended up in the national title game).
Kelsey most likely isn't going to be the top choice for the Louisville basketball program, but he would be an excellent consolation prize and a cheaper option than most of the other targets. Going from Winthrop to Charleston to Louisville in a decade would be something.
Eric Musselman, Arkansas
Eric Musselman has a long list of jobs on his coaching resume, all the way from the NBA G League to the Golden State Warriors head coach in the early 2000s and now at Arkansas. After Musselman's magical run at Nevada, he came to the Razorbacks and has them in the conversation every year.
Musselman led Arkansas to consecutive Elite Eight runs in 2021 and 2022, and he has a 110-58 record with the Razorbacks. However, they have had a disappointing season with just 15 wins and toward the bottom of the SEC. Musselman hasn't helped his case with the way Arkansas has played this season, but he has a buyout that could work for Louisville. Again, Musselman is likely an option only if Drew doesn't come over.
Mick Cronin, UCLA
Here we go. Does Louisville run back and bring Mick Cronin over? The current UCLA Bruins head coach was an assistant at Louisville in the early 2000s before taking the head coach job at Murray State and then spending more than a decade at Cincinnati. Cronin has brought UCLA to a pair of Sweet 16 trips and a Final Four in his four years in Westwood and has a 114–52 record. But, the Bruins took a step back big time this season, and he could look for other jobs.
The ties he has in the area are intriguing, but his buyout worth as much as $20 million looks to be a big pill for Louisville to swallow.
Sleeper Candidates
Will Wade, McNeese State
Will Wade is in his first season at McNeese after leaving LSU following a ton of controversy. He served a suspension at the start of the year, but McNeese is 28–3 and paying in the Southland Conference title game with a likely trip to the Big Dance in store. Wade just signed an extension recently with McNeese, but Louisville giving him a call would be an easy choice for Wade. Then again, does Louisville want to deal with something like that? Probably not.
Dusty May, Florida Atlantic
How many times have we seen something like this happen? A lesser-known coach works magic in March Madness and gets a big promotion. Andy Enfield's transition from Florida Gulf Coast to USC is one recent example. May took the Owls to the Final Four last year and became a national sensation. Does Louisville target him for the job?
Danny Sprinkle, Utah State
Washington is moving on from Mike Hopkins, and Danny Sprinkle has been commonly linked to the Utah State job. Sprinkle was recently named the Mountain West Coach of the Year as the Aggies finished at the top of the MWC. This would be an outside-the-box, low-cost hire for the Louisville basketball program.
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