Louisville’s Kenny Payne on Ty-Laur Johnson almost refusing to play because of ‘tights’
Louisville’s Kenny Payne said Ty-Laur Johnson almost refused to play because “he didn’t have the tights he wanted.”
Matt Stone
We’re talking about tights.
Not the game.
Not Louisville beating Bellarmine, 73-68, on Wednesday night to avenge the loss that signaled the season-long doom that was ahead last year. Not the fact that with the win the Cardinals already equaled their win total from Kenny Payne’s inaugural year of coaching.
Tights.
Louisville freshman guard Ty-Laur Johnson played just 2 minutes, 35 seconds in the first half against the Knights. Payne explained after the game it wasn’t because of a defensive breakdown against Bellarmine’s disciplined offense. Or turnovers or any myriad reasons that would get a freshman taken out of the game to learn and watch.
“Are you ready for this?” Payne said. “… We didn’t have the tights he wanted, so he didn’t know if he wanted to play.”
Even Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport said in his years of coaching “that was a first.”
Johnson has been wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg all season. Perhaps he felt he needed it even more after he began dealing with a groin injury in the Indiana loss. But he’s way too important for the Cards to be 1) on the sideline and 2) worried about some tights.
It’s the dilemma that sums up coaching in this generation.
And it may even shed new light on Johnson’s disappearance in the Cards’ loss to Indiana. Johnson asked to come out with five minutes left, citing his groin injury. He sat during a crucial four-minute stretch that turned U of L’s three-point lead into a five-point deficit by the time he returned.
“These young kids now think, ‘I don’t feel good today, I can just shut it down,’” Payne said. “Well, that affects a whole lot of lives.”
It could ultimately affect Payne’s job.
Payne is well aware of the positive impact Johnson has on the team. His play is worthy of being in the starting lineup. But Payne is insistent that Johnson has to earn that spot and complaining about what he’s wearing is not the way to do so.
“Yes, we are (a) different team with him,” Payne said. “But if I give him something, is that the right thing to do? No.”
Well, maybe.
Johnson had to learn something from watching the Cards struggle in the first half while he was on the bench. U of L scored a season-low 22 points in the first 20 minutes. His teammates didn’t seem too judgmental about his issue but during halftime urged him to play.
“We all been freshmen before, we’re going to learn, but like I said, we need him on the floor because he really gets us going,” sophomore Skyy Clark said.
When Johnson entered in the second half and U of L trailed by four, he helped power a 19-3 run that put the Cards ahead by nine and in the lead for good. Johnson never came off the floor for the remaining 15:45.
Johnson’s stat line was fairly modest, with eight points and five assists, but his presence in the lineup matters most. The ball moves better when Johnson is playing. Louisville had just four assists in the first half on nine made baskets. With Johnson in the game, they had nine assists on 16 baskets in the second half.
Johnson running point allows for Clark to play off the ball, and he’s been more effective in that role. Clark had five points and four turnovers in the first half as the Cards’ primary ballhandler. Playing beside Johnson in the second half, he scored 16 of his game-high 21 points and didn’t have any more turnovers.
“We need him on the floor at all times,” Clark said.
Johnson is listed at 6 feet, but realistically, that seems a bit generous. He is all heart, all speed, all energy. He can look a bit out of control like when he tried to dribble behind his back and split defenders late in the game and turned the ball over.
But he’s also unafraid of the moment. When Bellarmine pulled within 60-57, Johnson made a jumper then drew a charge on the ensuing possession.
The Cards have clearly been at their best when he is playing. But the Brooklyn, New York, native is going to have to find some toughness quickly for Louisville.
“I’m proud of him for fighting through,” Payne said. “But I also know that I cannot ever take my foot off his neck.”
Regardless of what tights he has on.
More: Louisville basketball overcomes slow start, edges Bellarmine to match 2022-23 win total
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
Olivia Wilson is a trendsetter in the world of digital culture. With an eagle eye for emerging trends and viral phenomena, she keeps readers up-to-date with the latest online sensations, memes, and pop culture trends. Olivia’s passion for staying ahead of the curve is infectious.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72931262/usa_today_21973134.0.jpg "Stay Updated on Wisconsin Badgers Transfer Portal Movements for 2023-2024 Season")
