Arkansas coach John Calipari has added a big name to his list of assistant coaches.
Former Calipari assistant Kenny Payne will join the Razorbacks’ coaching staff for the 2024-25 season.
Arkansas confirmed the news via an announcement posted to the team’s official social media accounts late Thursday.
Nearly 20 years of coaching experience on the collegiate and professional levels.
Let's welcome associate head coach @coachkennypayne đ pic.twitter.com/9aDbrwEkHH
— Arkansas Razorbacks Menâs Basketball đ (@RazorbackMBB) April 18, 2024
The 57-year-old Payne was a Calipari assistant at Kentucky for 11 seasons, including 2012 when the Wildcats defeated Kansas to win the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky reached the Final Four in four out of five seasons between 2011-15 when Payne was an assistant in Lexington. He became the top assistant on Calipari’s staff, working his way up to the title of associate head coach before a two-year foray into the NBA as an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s New York Knicks staff from 2020-22.
Most recently, Payne spent two tumultuous years as head coach at Louisville. He was fired in March after going 12-52 in two seasons and winning only five ACC games.
Payne is the first official staff hire since Calipari was introduced as Arkansas’ head coach last week.