Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has already seen a former assistant become head coach in Indiana.
Now he can even take a job in Louisville.
After Mike Woodson left the Knicks to become the Indiana head man earlier this season, former Louisville standout Kenny Payne is the favorite to replace Chris Mack on the Cardinals bench.
"I think the great success that (Payne) has in Kentucky has taken a lot of comfort in the college game," Thibodeau told reporters in Milwaukee before losing 123-108 to the Bucks on Friday. "I think the Louisville job is clearly attractive to her because it's her alma mater."
He said Payne would be "a great fit" in Louisville.
Payne, 55, played in Louisville from 1985–89 and was a member of the 1986 Final Four team under coach Denny Cramm. He then played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1989–93, and Payne spent 10 years on John Calipari's staff at Kentucky from 2010–20 before entering the college ranks coaching starting in Oregon in 2004, helping Calipari become a member of the team. -and- helped recruit. The Dons and McDonald All-Americans won the 2012 NCAA Championships.
He is now in his second season on Thibodeau's staff for a Knicks team that is 23–27.
“He got into the league; he played in the league,” Thibodeau said. “And apparently being in college, he studies the game, gets along very well with the players. But he is basically fit. ,
He added: "He would be ideal for (Louisville). He's strong on both sides of the ball, he's strong with personal development. And he's been around. He brings a lot of experience to whatever position he goes into." "
Auburn's Bruce Pearl was also linked to the Louisville job, but the school closed him on an extension "for life" on Friday after Pearl guided the Tigers to the No. 1 ranking for the first time.
Other names linked to the Louisville job include Nate Oates of Alabama and Eric Musselman of Arkansas.
The school agreed to buy Mack this week for $4.8 million after he failed to win an NCAA Tournament game in a three-plus season and then lost a locker room in recent weeks.