Earlier Thursday, it was reported that the Kentucky Wildcats tried getting Kenny Payne back to Lexington.
That won’t be happening, as Payne is instead heading to Arkansas to rejoin John Calipari.
Arkansas confirmed the hire Thursday evening.
Payne will team up with Calipari in Fayetteville after the two worked together in Lexington for a decade (2010-20). Payne joined the Wildcats in the 2010 offseason after previously being an assistant coach with the Oregon Ducks.
During Payne’s time in the Bluegrass, the Wildcats enjoyed one of the best 10-year runs in program history. It included seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and the 2012 NCAA Championship. He also helped Kentucky recruit and produce a wealth of future NBA stars, including Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Julius Randle, and De’Aaron Fox, among many others.
Unfortunately, the whole head-coaching thing didn’t go too well for Payne.
After leaving Kentucky for a two-year stint as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks, Payne was hired as the Louisville Cardinals’ head coach in 2022. Payne was a former Cardinals player who helped lead the program to the 1986 NCAA Championship.
However, Payne could never get Louisville going, finishing 12-52 overall before being fired following his second season.
Now, Payne will look to get back to making an impact as Calipari’s top assistant