Louisville fired men's basketball coach Kenny Payne after two “spectacularly bad seasons,” but AD Josh Heird's next move to hire a replacement “won’t be so simple, and there’s much more pressure riding on him," according to C.L. Brown of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL. In fact, Heird's job “may be on the line if he fails to get it right.” Heird will not "hire a search firm to conduct interviews and vet candidates,” meaning the next coach will “unequivocally be Heird’s hire, and whatever results that follow will rest squarely at his feet.” Louisville went 12-52 in Payne's two seasons, and that lack of success "cost Louisville -- as well as businesses” that surround the KFC Yum! Center. Heird did not disclose an exact figure, but he indicated that the program has lost a “'significant' amount of revenue over the past few years." However, Heird added that UL was “not so financially strapped that it can’t pursue a top candidate” ( Louisville COURIER JOURNAL, 3/14 ).
Louisville AD faces pressure to get next men's basketball hire right
