SAD NEWS: Head Coach Kenny Payne Bitter Expression and Resignation

After the Cardinals’ defeat over the Hokies, read what the team’s head coach, forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, and guard/forward Mike James had to say.
Louisville, KY: The men’s basketball program at Louisville was on the losing end of the win/loss column for the sixth consecutive game, losing 80-64 against Virginia Tech.

In response to the defeat, head coach Kenny Payne, forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, and guard/forward Mike James said the following:

Let me start by praising Virginia Tech. They seemed to play really hard, in my opinion. They emerged and struck us first in the mouth. They were the ones that attacked first and moved quickly and forcefully with their offence. We were behind 10 to 2 before we realized it because they were pressing us. We did a fantastic job, in my opinion, of attempting to battle back and win the game in the last ten. We made the mistake of taking a shot and got it to ten. How were we able to reach ten? After two post-up plays, we descended and attempted a shot. Young players will ultimately make errors, and we will learn from them and continue to improve.In the midst of a battle like this, when you’re trying so hard to get it back into range so you can make a run, those kinds of errors were expensive. Brandon (Huntley-Hatfield) played and fought hard, in my opinion. He made several positive contributions there. But he is not solely to blame for what we needed. Since we had a number of players that didn’t perform well while understanding how important this game was to us, the responsibility falls on all of us as coaches and players.

(On the second half run, which involved starting three players on the bench and Zan Payne and Danilo Jovanovich to rotate around the starters.)

“Danilo Jovanović deserves to play,” I said. I have to put a player in if he is on the court but not playing with enthusiasm or if his spirit is off. I want him to play, therefore, I have to apologize to him for not getting him in earlier. He works hard every day when he gets to work. He doesn’t have to be flawless for me to like him, but you should play if you put in the effort and your mindset is proper. The addition of Aidan (McCool) to the game would have been my preference. Everything is irrelevant to me except who will battle to attempt to win the game. Talent level is meaningless. I must convey to you guys that it is entirely up to you to determine whether or not you will receive a gift of minutes. You must leave the game if you don’t play hard for your teammates.

(About the first half’s offensive surge and the dismal early struggles of the starters.)

Of course, Coach Danny Manning discussed it in the locker room. I talk about it all the time. When it comes to reaching the free throw line, we rank third in the ACC. We work as a paint-touch squad. We possess excellent space. We assault you with many drives, move the ball well, get the ball, and wreck havoc on opposing teams. We are not the same squad when we abandon that and simply leave the ball on the perimeter before making jumpers. This indicates that we are taking contested shots outside of the flow. They find it difficult to process it. All year long, I have been harping on it. We’re going to keep bringing it up.

Moving forward: Guard/forward and Hatfield player Brandon Huntley Michael James
(Regarding the team’s lack of momentum in the latter part of the season.)

Huntley-Hatfield: “That’s a really thoughtful inquiry. We’re just attempting to figure things out, in my opinion. Whenever we try to attack the paint, we should also make the correct reads, trust each other on the floor, and shoot everything with confidence. We should also strive to maintain our mutual trust and faith in our game plan. As I mentioned earlier, we should also recognize who we are and concentrate on that going into every game. Simply keep acting in that manner.James: “Yeah, man, I know it’s difficult, but we just need to keep striving to improve every day. Just remember not to blow any chances since you never know when you’ll get the chance to perform in front of this audience or any other audience, such as your parents at home. I just state that we should continue to approach each day with the intention of making the most of it—that is, we should aim to maximize every practice and every game. Although it’s difficult, I just try to boost the guys’ spirits and give this season my all.

(On if you witnessed this squad going through some soul-searching throughout the previous few practice days.)

Hatfield, Huntley: “Yeah, I did. We’ve conducted an extremely comprehensive scout over the previous few days, and following the most recent game, I think we all came together a little more to try and go out and play better today.

(On reflections before the season’s last home game)

“Our only focus is finishing the season out strong, going to D.C., and shocking the world,” said Huntley-Hatfield.

(Regarding Brandon’s apparent shoulder injury and first-half knee injury)

“I just tried to get a rebound,” said Huntley-Hatfield, “but my knees hit the floor first.” Though slightly sprained, my shoulder is also OK. (Offence off to a sluggish start tonight; nothing gets going early.)

“One of our coaches mentioned to us during the game that we were among the top five in the ACC in terms of drawing fouls,” said Huntley-Hatfield. That simply means that we need to accept who we are. We start a gun war with these individuals as a result. Well, at this point, we kind of know who we are. All we need to do is remain true to our roots rather than straying from what defines who we are.

(During the second half’s run to begin; what stops the lads from pressing the throttle and carrying on with the runs and grooves they find?)

James: “I believe it is merely receiving stops.” You must keep receiving such runs and pauses. The largest child is going back down at the finish to prevent them from scoring, so we can keep running as we are coming down and scoring. Therefore, the most important thing for us to accomplish throughout those rounds is to just be mindful of providing every defensive position with  our best effort. We must end the game with pauses.