Off The Burner 12.15.23

Welcome to Off the Burner – a semi-regular stream of consciousness about college hoops.

The latest at Louisville.

Following Louisville’s home loss to Arkansas State, I posted a gif signaling it was the end of the Kenny Payne era.

pic.twitter.com/Cax3bvqDV1

— Trilly Donovan (@trillydonovan) December 14, 2023

Well, because it is. I can say with near certainty there will be a coaching change at Louisville. But it’s been a bit of a headache trying to nail down when.

A few local sources told me a change would be made in the 48 hours following the loss. As we approach the 48th hour, I’m not so sure that will be the case. The reasons for the delay have varied. According to Jeff Goodman, Louisville athletic director Josh Heird spent yesterday meeting with players to discuss the future of the program before making a decision. There’s also an official visit from Karter Knox on the docket this weekend.

The other order of business is finding an interim head coach willing to do the job. Multiple sources told me Danny Manning has turned down the opportunity and Nolan Smith is still considering it. External hires are also in play, with former Louisville assistant Mark Lieberman being the most talked about of those candidates.

In the meantime, Louisville is preparing for their game Sunday against Pepperdine and there’s a decent chance Payne is on the sideline. One source even went as far to say Payne could coach against Kentucky, too. The Wildcats come to town on December 21, marking Louisville’s last game before the Christmas break. The timing would also give whomever the interim is an opportunity to get a few practices under their belt before Louisville plays again on January 3. It would certainly be something if Payne’s last game is against his former employer and the Cardinals’ arch rival.

This is very much a fluid situation and things could change quickly.

The latest at Michigan.

At Michigan, there’s a lot more red tape to work through. Strength coach Jon Sanderson filed an HR complaint, prompting the university to launch an official investigation into the matter. The complaint is significant because of the reported zero-tolerance policy the school has in place with Juwan Howard. If school officials find Howard in the wrong, it could lead to his immediate termination. Sanderson has been on self-imposed leave since the incident occurred and it’s unclear if he will be with the team during their game against Eastern Michigan tomorrow.

Regardless of the outcome, this appears to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for Howard’s tenure at Michigan. Whether it’s now or after the season, it sounds increasingly unlikely that Howard will be the coach in Ann Arbor next season. The marriage has run its course and it feels like the right time for both parties to move on.

Two of the biggest brands in the sport are dealing with fluid situations surrounding their head coach in December. Imagine what kind of fun we’ll run into when the carousel starts turning in March. Stay tuned!

Follow @trillydonovan on X (Twitter). Stay tuned to burnerball.com to keep up with all things coaching carousel and transfer portal.

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