Arkansas hires Kenny Payne as associate head coach under John Calipari

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.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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