原文 https://rb.gy/b7hmdy
Louisville fires men's hoops coach Kenny Payne, starts search
Saying a "change is needed" to help the Cardinals reach expectations,
Louisville athletic director Josh Heird announced Wednesday that Kenny Payne
had been fired as men's basketball coach.
Payne finishes his Louisville career with a record of 12-52, with just one
win away from home. The Cardinals' season ended Tuesday with a 94-85 loss to
NC State in the first round of the ACC tournament to wrap up an 8-24 campaign
when they went 3-17 in conference play.
兩年下來，總成績是 12-52, 今年戰績是 8-24, 而在 ACC 中是 3-17
"Kenny has given a great deal to this university over a span of nearly 40
years, and he will always be a valued member of our Louisville family," Heird
said in a statement. "When we brought Kenny home in 2022, no one had a
stronger belief than me in his potential success, but it's become clear that
a change is needed to help this program achieve what is expected and
attainable. While it is always difficult to make a coaching transition, this
is the right one for our program."
以上場面話，買斷合約的價格是八百萬美金
原本合約應該是六年。
Louisville is expected to owe Payne around $8 million, the buyout of what is
remaining on the six-year contract he signed when he was hired, sources told
ESPN.
The school said it would begin a national search for Payne's replacement
immediately. Heird is set to speak to reporters later Wednesday.
Following Tuesday's loss, Payne was asked about his performance as Louisville
coach and whether he deserved a third year.
"For me, I go back to day one," he said. "When I walked into the program as
the new head coach, I talked about, I needed everybody on the same page. We
sort of forgot that. I talked about how I'm not going to let you blame me.
I'm not standing up here by myself. I need all of Louisville with me. We sort
of forgot that. I talked about, it's going to take time, and I'm going to
watch and see who jumped on and off the Titanic. We sort of forgot that. I
gave a specific time. I said three or four years. And I'm good with that.
That's what I believed at that time, and that's what I still believe it takes
to fix this program."
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ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel contributed to this report.