LEXINGTON, Ky. — Multiple sports outlets are reporting that Kentucky basketball associate head coach Kenny Payne has been extended an offer to be the assistant for the New York Knicks and new coach Tom Thibodeau.
Payne has been with the Wildcats since the 2010 season and has helped develop some of the best big men in the game that are thriving in the NBA. There are players like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMarcus Cousins and Bam Adebayo.
Kentucky associate head coach Kenny Payne is weighing an offer to join the New York Knicks organization, source told @Stadium. Payne has strong ties to new Knicks executive William Wesley and also Leon Rose.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 8, 2020
If Payne were to leave there's already a report that there's a lead candidate for his replacement on the UK Coaching staff. A guy who is very familiar with head coach John Calipari.
Kentucky’s Kenny Payne remains in the mix to join the Knicks with Bruiser Flint an option to replace him at UK, source says https://t.co/j3n7DqkAfK
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) August 7, 2020
Flint was an assistant coach for Coach Cal at UMass. After Calipari left for the NBA in 1996, Flint was took his place and led the Minutemen to an 86-72 record. Flint resigned in 2000-'01. He's been an assistant at Indiana for the last three seasons.
