Report: Louisville asks permission to speak with Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne

Could Kentucky basketball assistant Kenny Payne return to his alma mater as its next head coach?

According to 247Sports’ Evan Daniels, Louisville has asked permission to speak with Payne about its head coaching vacancy.

Payne, of course, played for Louisville from 1985-1989 and was a member of the Cardinals’ 1986 NCAA championship team. Following his college career, Payne played in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers. His pro career totaled 11 seasons, but most of it was overseas.

Payne coached at Oregon as an assistant from 2004-2009 before heading to Kentucky in 2010.

Most figure Xavier’s Chris Mack is the leading candidate to land the job, but Payne has the support from a group of former Cardinals’ players.

Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino was fired by the university amid the FBI’s massive bribery probe.

The Louisville athletic department has asked Kentucky for permission to speak to Associate Head Coach Kenny Payne about their open coaching vacanacy, multiple sources tells @247Sports.

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) March 24, 2018

Kevin Duffey

A graduate of the University of Florida and founder of Saturday Down South, Kevin is a college football enthusiast.