FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Kenny Payne was hired Thursday as associate head coach at Arkansas under John Calipari.
Payne was fired last month after going 12-52 in two seasons as the head coach at Louisville, his alma mater.
Before that, he spent 10 years as an assistant at Kentucky under Calipari, helping the Wildcats win the national championship in 2012, play for the 2014 title and reach four Final Fours. Payne also has been an assistant at Oregon and for the NBA’s New York Knicks.
As associate head coach at Kentucky from 2014 to 2020, Payne helped the Wildcats consistently land highly ranked recruiting classes. His 2023 recruiting class at Louisville was ranked in the top six nationally by both Rivals and 247Sports.
That recruiting prowess will immediately be put to the test. There currently is one player listed on Arkansas’ roster.
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Georgia governor signs income tax cuts as property tax measure heads to November ballot
Coronavirus: China to test 9 million people as cluster detected in city of Qingdao
Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to additional prison term
Gunmen ambush vehicle carrying customs officials in northwest Pakistan, killing 4 officers
Eli Lilly's new ad says weight
No thanks to traditional meals, say Gen Z
Hong Kong police arrest four over social media posts
Irina Shayk the sizzling supermodel rocks saucy triple
US warns China will use Olympics to gloss over abuses
The 49ers are slated to pick in the 1st round for the 1st time since 2021
Police chief charged over Seoul Halloween crush that killed 159