4 worst head coach hires in Louisville basketball history

FanSided NCAA staff writer Sam Fariss ranks the four worst head coaching hires in the history of Lousiville Cardinals men's basketball.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne reacts during their game against the Florida State Seminoles.
Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne reacts during their game against the Florida State Seminoles. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY
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I want to start this article by acknowledging and calling attention to the decisions made by the former Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino but this article isn't about him.

What happened at Louisville due to Pitino’s actions (or inaction) is inexcusable. While all of this is true, the team excelled from a purely statistical standpoint during his tenure. Therefore, Pitino, who went 293-140 overall as the Cardinal's head coach, will not be on this list.

Instead, I will focus on coaches who failed on the court and the sidelines. Here are the four worst coaches in Louisville men’s basketball history:

Over two seasons, John Heldman led his team to just nine wins. As the 12th head coach of the Lousiville Cardinals, Heldman had a success rate of just 27.3 percent.

Tied for the fourth-worst win percentage in program history, Heldman was an absolute mistake of a head coaching hire by the Lousiville athletic department. 

His win percentage is ahead of only John O’Rourke, Laurie Apitz, and Kenny Payne as head coach for the Cardinals.


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