Louisville Basketball: 8 candidates to watch for potential HC opening

Mick Cronin

When Louisville hired Payne, they were bringing back someone who both had experience with the program and success in the college game. In theory, this plan was excellent but it did have one major flaw. Payne had never been a head coach at any level and there certainly have been flaws on his end in the last eighteen months. Instead, the Cardinals could look at someone else who satisfies those two conditions and has also been a successful head coach.

Cronin was born in Cincinnati, spending much of his early time in the city, including attending and coaching at the University of Cincinnati. He was hired by Louisville back in 2001, becoming an assistant on Rick Pitino’s first staff with the school. He’d depart the Cardinals after just two years to become a head coach, spending the last twenty seasons leading Murray State, Cincinnati, and UCLA, most notably taking the Bruins to the Final Four back in 2021.

First and foremost, the money would have to be right, as Cronin has been the head coach at UCLA for the last four seasons and already has a Final Four under his belt. Luring him back to the Midwest could play in Louisville’s favor, but there are other considerations. He spent 13 years as head coach at his alma mater and still left for UCLA; perhaps the Louisville job, dreadful in its current state, wouldn’t be enough to lure him closer to home.