Pat Kelsey, the new coach, is formally announced by Louisville MBB.

The men’s basketball team at the University of Louisville has a new head coach. The Cards have formally announced Pat Kelsey as their new head coach.

After serving as head coach at Winthrop and the College of Charleston, he joins the program. He attended a number of NCAA tournaments while attending both universities. Now, he seeks to turn the good ship Cardinal around.

The official press statement from UofL announcing the hire, which includes quotes from Coach Kelsey and AD Josh Heird, is available below.

The 12-year head coach at Winthrop and College of Charleston has a 261-122 career record.

Josh Heird, the director of athletics, revealed on Thursday that Pat Kelsey, a successful program builder who has won around 70% of his career games, will take over as head coach of the University of Louisville’s men’s basketball team.

Kelsey will be under contract with the Cardinals through the 2028–2029 season for a period of five years. The conditions of his contract were accepted by the Board of Directors of the University of Louisville Athletic Association on Thursday afternoon.

Thursday afternoon, there will be a press conference where Kelsey will be publicly unveiled.

Heird declared, “We are ecstatic to have Pat Kelsey join us as our new men’s basketball coach.” “Pat has demonstrated his capacity to create numerous programs at the highest caliber. As a manager, coach, motivator, and communicator, he is highly respected and will form close relationships with his student-athletes, our supporters, and the coaches. Pat is aware of the high standards set by this illustrious school and is prepared to approach this chance with an unparalleled level of zeal and diligence. We’re excited for him, his spouse Lisa, and their kids to join the greatest campus community.

Throughout his twelve years as a head coach—the last three at College of Charleston and the nine before that at Winthrop—Kelsey has been an overwhelming victor. Throughout his head coaching tenure, he had an outstanding 261-122 record (68.1%), 11 conference titles, and four NCAA Tournament invitations.

In Louisville’s 110-year history, Kelsey, a native of Cincinnati, will be the 24th head coach and the 10th in the previous 79 years.

“Being named head coach at the University of Louisville humbles and honors me,” Kelsey stated. “For giving me the opportunity to oversee one of the best programs in the country, I would like to thank Josh Heird, President Schatzel, the Board of Trustees, the ULAA Board, former UofL players, and all of Card Nation.”

all of basketball at the collegiate level. During their era, Cardinal basketball rose to national prominence under the guidance of coaching giants for whom I have the utmost respect and reverence. My responsibility is to assist this outstanding program in regaining its proper position as one of the greatest in college basketball.

College of Charleston ended with a 27-8 record this year, won both the regular season and tournament titles in the Colonial Athletic Conference, and was seeded No. 13 in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Alabama, which was ranked fourth.

The Cougars were the first squad to win consecutive Colonial crowns in seven years. Along with Bryce Butler’s Sixth Man of the Year award, Kelsey received three All-CAA player accolades and the league’s Coach of the Year title.

In terms of 3-point attempts per game (3rd, 30.6), made 3-pointers (8th, 10.5), bench points per game (11th, 30.1), winning percentage (18th, 77.1), rebounds per game (20th, 39.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (22nd, 1.5), and offensive rebounds per game (23rd, 13.1), College of Charleston is ranked in the top 25 nationally this season.

In the course of his With a 31-4 record and the program’s first CAA championship since 2008 in their second season under head coach in Charleston, the Cougars broke multiple records. They finished the 2022 Charleston Classic victorious, went undefeated for four weeks, and peaked at No. 18 in the AP Top 25. In addition to being on the Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List, Kelsey was named the USBWA and NABC District Coach of the Year.

Kelsey travels to Charleston from Winthrop, where he rose to the position of fifth-most successful coach in Big South Conference history. Over his nine seasons in Rock Hill, South Carolina, he averaged 20.7 wins per game, more wins overall and in the conference than any other player in the league.

During his last year at Winthrop, The Eagles finished 23-2 under Kelsey’s leadership, set a school record with a 21-game winning streak, won the Big South tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Villanova. The 2021 Big South Coach of the Year award went to Kelsey.

Additionally, Kelsey guided Winthrop to NCAA Tournament invitations in 2017 and 2020 (the latter two were canceled because to the COVID-19 pandemic).

In addition to being a nominee for the 2021 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award and a two-time finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, Kelsey recorded an outstanding 110-46 (.705) conference record at Winthrop in addition to an overall record of 186-95 (.662). In addition, the Eagles took home four Big South regular-season championships in 2016, 2017, 2020, and 2021.

16 players from Winthrop were chosen for the all-conference team. Three were named Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player, one Big South Freshman of the Year, and three Big South Players of the Year.

Before coming to Winthrop, Kelsey was the associate head coach at his former school, Xavier, from 2009 to 2011. Prior to that, he served as Wake Forest’s director of basketball operations from 2001 to 2004 and assistant coach from 2004 to 2009. He was an assistant coach at Cincinnati’s Elder High School from 1998 to 2001 before starting his own coaching career.

In 1998, Kelsey earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing with honors from Xavier University. Prior to moving and spending three seasons as the Musketeers’ point guard from 1995 to 1998, he started his collegiate playing career at the University of Wyoming.

With his wife, Lisa, Kelsey has three children.Johnny, Caroline, and Ruthie are the children.