Louisville coaching staff down to a party of one at crunch time
Welcome to Louisville basketball, the one-coach show.
A week after naming assistant David Padgett as interim head coach in the wake of Rick Pitino’s forced departure, Louisville placed two more basketball coaches on leave Friday. Associate head coach Kenny Johnson, who was entering his fourth season with the team, and assistant coach Jordan Fair, entering his second, will remain on paid leave while the university investigates the program’s involvement in a bribery scandal that’s engulfed the sport.
That leaves Padgett, a 32-year-old rookie head coach who played under Pitino from 2004-08, as the lone X’s and O’s guy as the Cardinals prepare for the start of their season on Oct. 30.
Acting athletic director Vince Tyra — working in place of Tom Jurich, the university’s longtime AD who also was placed on leave — explained the program’s decision to suspend Johnson and Fair in a statement Friday.
“We are in the process of executing our due diligence as it relates to an ongoing investigation and feel that this [is] an appropriate step at this time,” Tyra said. “Our university will continue to fully cooperate with federal authorities in their investigation.”
During his introductory press conference last Friday, Padgett attempted to clear his name from the various accusations brought against Louisville. According to the FBI, two members of the basketball staff, “Coach-1” and “Coach-2,” played a part in passing $100,000 to the family of top recruit Brian Bowen Jr. through Adidas executive Jim Gatto. Padgett said he was not one of them.
Pitino reportedly was identified as “Coach-2” and could soon be officially banned from the program after the Louisville Athletic Administration ruled in favor Monday of terminating his contract.
While Padgett takes the court for the start of preseason, Louisville interim president Greg Postel said he is looking into a recent report that revealed Pitino pocketed 98 percent of the department’s multi-million dollar deal with Adidas.
Padgett reeled in a familiar face to help him with a full roster this season: his father, Pete Padgett, who starred at Nevada in the ’70s, will act as a consultant moving forward.