INDIANAPOLIS — Louisville is set to name Kenny Payne as its next men’s basketball coach, and John Calipari is a big fan of who the Cardinals are hiring.

The Kentucky coach’s big beef is with the when.

“If that's who they name, they made the right choice,” Calipari said at Wednesday’s NCAA Tournament East Region media day. "I wish they would have made it four years ago, you know, but, you know what? He's getting an opportunity, if he chooses to take it, at a great institution and in our state.”

Will Kenny Payne be the next Louisville coach?

Payne — a former U of L player who worked for 10 seasons as an assistant to Calipari — was considered a candidate for the Louisville job when it opened in 2018. Louisville ultimately hired Chris Mack, who reached a separation agreement with the school on Jan. 26. Mack went 63-36 in three-plus seasons with the Cardinals.

Kenny Payne to Louisville: Louisville basketball set to hire ex-Cardinal, current Knicks assistant Kenny Payne

The 55-year-old Payne — who’s expected to be announced as the Cards’ next coach at a 10 a.m. Friday news conference pending U of L Athletics Association Board of Directors approval at a meeting earlier that morning — was known as an ace recruiter and developer of talent in his years with Calipari. He helped Kentucky win the 2012 NCAA championship.

Though Payne has not been a head coach — he currently is an assistant with the New York Knicks — Louisville “could not hire anybody that will do a better job,” Calipari said, calling Payne “the best of the best."

What John Calipari said about Kenny Payne

“They’ve been to national titles,” Calipari said of the U of L program. "They’ve won national titles, Final Fours — you ready for what I’m gonna tell you? With different coaches. So that means that program is one of the programs. They deserve a coach like Kenny Payne.”

Calipari spoke to Payne earlier this week but had not spoken to him Wednesday and didn’t confirm that Payne had accepted the job.

But Calipari sounded like a man clearly prepared for his former assistant to take on the head coaching job of his rival.

Cardinals coaching search: Who is Kenny Payne? 6 things to know about Louisville basketball's likely next coach

Calipari suggested that the move “should lighten up their side and our side” of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, given UK fans’ fondness for Payne.

“Look, it’s one game a year!” Calipari bellowed, his voice booming. “Who cares?! ‘It’s life and death. I’ll jump off a bridge!’ What? It’s one game! I’ve said it for 13 years.”

Calipari noted that he’s been friends with Tennessee coach Rick Barnes for 40 years and encouraged Barnes to take the Volunteers job despite it pairing the two in annual border battles.

“And he and I have remained friends, even though they’ve beaten us a bunch,” Calipari said. “We’re friends. Kenny Payne, whatever happens with these games, we’ll be friends.”

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: John Calipari: Kenny Payne 'right choice' for Louisville basketball