Louisville won't retain interim head coach Padgett
Louisville won't retain interim head coach David Padgett, who led the team following the preseason dismissal of Rick Pitino, the university announced Wednesday.
"We all owe a great debt of gratitude to David for his leadership and poise this season," interim athletic director Vince Tyra said. "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 steered the Cardinals to a 22-14 record in his lone campaign at the helm, including a run to the quarterfinals of the NIT. The 33-year-old had no experience as a head coach when he took over, and had spent just two years on Pitino's bench as an assistant.
"All things considered and given the circumstances, everything went pretty well," Padgett told Evan Daniels of 247 Sports. "Did we achieve everything we wanted? No, but the players gave maximum effort from the first practice to the last game and gave me some increased learning experiences. I couldn't ask for a better team to coach and all things considered I think we did a good job."
Xavier's Chris Mack has been rumored to be Louisville's top coaching target.