Oregon basketball: Still awaiting word on Kenny Payne

Oregon basketball: Still awaiting word on Kenny Payne

By John Hunt, The Oregonian
May 24, 2010, 9:24PM

It is growing more likely that new Oregon coach Dana Altman will have another spot to fill on his staff, as assistant coach Kenny Payne appears on the verge of accepting a job at Kentucky.

According to CBS Sports, Payne was in Kentucky last weekend and could be joining the staff of friend John Calipari.

Payne did not answer phone messages Monday, and Altman declined to comment as well.

The rumors resurfaced last month when Kentucky assistant coach Rod Strickland was arrested again on a DUI charge. Strickland was then moved to a non-coaching position at Kentucky, and Payne immediately was mentioned as a replacement.

"Not true,'' said Payne at the time, as he continued to participate in workouts with the Ducks.

Since Altman took over as head coach a month ago, he has expressed interest in keeping Payne on his staff, which now includes only Brian Fish, who assisted Altman at Creighton.

Payne has gotten much of the credit for Oregon's recruiting successes in recent years, establishing a Midwest connection that brought the Ducks players such as Tajuan Porter from Detroit and Joevan Catron and Michael Dunigan from Chicago. He also recruited LeKendric Longmire from his home state of Mississippi.

So Altman sought to keep Payne and preserve those recruiting ties.

"We definitely want Kenny to be part of our staff," Altman said earlier this month. "He's still investigating all his options. I've been really impressed with his relationship with the players, and his rapport with people here in the department and around the community. He's really done a great job of helping us make the transition here.''

Payne, who starred at Louisville, has a 10-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter, which has influenced his decision to remain at Oregon despite numerous job offers in the past, including others from Calipari.