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Five Players from Louisville That Need to Stay After Kenny Payne’s Fire
In Louisville, a new age is about to begin.
Kenny Payne was sacked by the Louisville Cardinals earlier this morning. Although the Cardinals have started a coaching search to find a new head coach, it is unlikely that the players will decide to move until that coach is selected. It’s likely that some players will decide to depart before then, but even if Payne was kept, those were presumably individuals that wanted to transfer.
It will be intriguing to watch which players choose to stay at the university and which ones decide to transfer out after Payne brought in a strong recruiting class this past season. The top 5 players that could lead Louisville are listed below.
to having a basketball season in 2024–2025 that is far more successful:
The Cardinals’ most reliable player this season, both on defense and offensively, has been Louisville’s Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who burst into the scene in his junior year. Hatfield shot 42.9% from three this season and 56.7% from the field, averaging 12.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. These numbers are also stale because, following a sluggish start to the season, Hatfield was averaging more than 16 points and ten rebounds per game for Louisville in the second half of the campaign.
If Hatfield were to return, he might be a valuable asset to Louisville in the upcoming season and would be a vital player on both ends of the ball regardless of the head coach in November.
After transferring from Illinois, Skyy Clark has been an essential ball handler for Louisville this entire season. Clark just put on a 36-point performance in Louisville’s most recent game against NC State. Towards the end of the season, Clark has been very effective for Louisville.
Even though Clark’s 3-point percentage is in the mid 30s, he has shown himself to be a capable shooter recently, averaging 12.4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 39.5% from the field overall. In his most recent game, he made seven three-pointers, demonstrating his improved scoring in recent weeks. Clark would be a solid playmaker and a solid foundational element for the squad the next year if he were retained.
and the team’s scoring.
Ty-Laur Johnson joined Louisville as a freshman this season, and despite not playing much in November and gaining eligibility, he had a significant influence on the squad. In addition to averaging 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, Johnson also shot 82% from the free throw line and 37.2% from the field. In addition, Johnson had the most productive game in UofL freshman history, finishing with 27 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and just 3 turnovers.
Johnson is without a doubt this team’s finest passer and playmaker, and he will be an important pillar for whoever manages this group come football season.
Another newcomer to Louisville this season, Kaleb Glenn established himself in February even though it took him some time to acquire meaningful playing time. During the previous season, Glenn averaged 3.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and a 49.2% field goal percentage for the Cardinals.
In Louisville’s victory over Georgia Tech last month, Glenn recorded a game high of 13 points and 15 rebounds, demonstrating his potential to be a key member of this squad in the future. Throughout the season, Glenn was forced to defend guys who were significantly bigger than him at center, which did not work out well for a 6’6″ guy. Glenn can be a valuable asset to the team if the future head coach can use him wisely rather than as a big man.
may play a significant role for the Cardinals in 2025.
The reason Louisville had minimal success in the last two years was due to Mike James’ play, who played a major role during the Kenny Payne era. James shot 39.6% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc, averaging 12.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
James had a tremendous season around the end of Payne’s first and the initial part of this one. But for the past month or two, James has been playing like a much different player. Everyone is aware of James’ skill as a basketball player; the question seems to be whether the coaching staff can extract it from
whether the coaching staff is able to extract it from him. If James chooses to stay, he might make a solid starting point for Louisville’s 2024–25 squad.
