Candidates for MSU Basketball Coach: Part II

Mar 18, 2015; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats associate head coach Kenny Payne talks to players during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Kenny Payne

This is the only assistant coach we’ll put on these lists, because it’s the one people bring up so often. Kentucky ace recruiter and Laurel, Mississippi native Kenny Payne.

Payne played at Louisville in the late-1980s, then in the NCAA for the 76ers, and has been an assistant under John Calipari since 2010. It was rumored that he interviewed for the job the last time around to ultimately not get hired, and that may happen again.

Payne is known mostly for his recruiting presence – something many Stansbury apologists sorely miss.