Louisville lets Padgett go, opens coach search

Louisville didn't take long to make its first offseason move, parting ways interim men's basketball coach David Padgett less than 24 hours after the Cardinals' season ended.

The former Cardinals player was brought in to bring calm amid turmoil after the school placed coach Rick Pitino on unpaid administrative leave following its acknowledgement that it was being investigated in a federal corruption probe of college basketball.

Padgett did his job. He went 22-14 after being elevated from assistant last fall.

"It was just a learning experience," Padgett said Wednesday at a news conference on campus. "I didn't give myself expectations, I didn't give my team expectations. But having never done something before, you're always going to say, how am I going to do, doing it for the first time. All things considered, I think it went really, really well."

School officials say they appreciate the job he did. Obviously it wasn't good enough.

Interim athletic director Vince Tyra thanked Padgett in a statement for taking over the program "during incredible circumstances," and added, "We expect to determine a new head coach in a short period to build upon the great basketball tradition of this university."

Tyra didn't elaborate on candidates to replace Padgett, but later said that Louisville would seek a top-level coach.

Pitino was fired in October after 16 seasons. Players had pushed for Padgett, 33, to be the interim replacement, and he guided the team to a quarterfinal appearance in the NIT.

Arizona freshman center Deandre Ayton is leaving early for the NBA after one dominating season.

Ayton made the announcement on his Twitter feed Wednesday.

The 7-foot-1, 260pound Ayton was named the Pac-12 player of the year after averaging 20.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.

He has excellent footwork, a good midrange jump shot and passes well out of double teams, traits that have him projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA draft, possibly the No. 1 overall pick.