Now the madness begins.
To the surprise of no one, U of L officially announced Wednesday afternoon that David Padgett will not be retained as the permanent men’s basketball coach.
Here’s a portion of the press release:
David Padgett, who has served as the University of Louisville’s interim head coach for the past six months, will not be retained as head coach moving forward with the Cardinals.
Padgett guided the Cardinals to a 22-14 record and the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament as UofL finished in a tie for eighth in the ACC. Padgett’s 22 victories were the second-most for a first-year coach in Louisville history behind only Hall of Fame Coach Denny Crum’s 26-5 initial season in 1971-72.
“We all owe a great debt of gratitude to David for his leadership and poise this season,” said UofL Interim Director of Athletics Vince Tyra. “He took over during incredible circumstances, has handled himself respectfully throughout the season and I believe he has a bright future in coaching. We expect to determine a new head coach in a short period to build upon the great basketball tradition of this university.”
Padgett became the Cardinals’ coach on Sept. 29 just three days prior to the start of practice and it was three weeks before his staff was complete. UofL earned 20 wins for the 16th-straight season, one of just four schools in the nation with that consecutive streak. The Cardinals played the nation’s 10th toughest schedule according to the Ratings Percentage Index and played 23 games – nearly two-thirds of its games -- against teams that advanced to postseason play, posting a 10-14 record in those games.
Padgett, 33, was the third-youngest head coach in NCAA Division I this season and the youngest among Power 5 schools. With UofL’s win at Florida State on Jan. 10, Padgett became only the second UofL coach to win a road game over a Top 25 ranked opponent in his first season, a feat also accomplished by John Dromo in 1967. Louisville’s win at No. 23 Florida State was its first road victory over a Top 25 opponent since 2014.
Padgett was just the third head coach for the Cardinals in the last 47 years, following Rick Pitino (2001-17) and Denny Crum (1971-2001).
I believe David will be the head coach of another program within the next month. Wherever that is, they will have a new fan in me.
Thanks, David.
