LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s nearly three months to the day since Pat Kelsey was hired to be the next head coach of the Louisville men’s basketball program. The former College of Charleston head coach was officially tabbed to lead the Cardinals back on Mar. 28, roughly two weeks following the dismissal of Kenny Payne.
Since then, there have been a whirlwind of moving pieces. On top of bringing with him a new staff, Louisville’s entire roster flipping on its head, with 13 scholarship newcomers joining the Cardinals. Earlier this month, these new players officially made it to campus, and have been going through summer workouts for the last few weeks.
On Thursday, Kelsey took time to meet with the media for the first time since his introductory press conference, with Reyne Smith, Chucky Hepburn and J’Vonne Hadley joining him.
“First of all, it’s pretty cool to have an afternoon in June to have a press conference, look around, have a packed room like this,” Kelsey said. “The passion for Louisville basketball never ceases to amaze me. Kudos to Cardinal Nation you guys for coming out.
They discussed the offseason additions, summer workouts, overall preparation for year one, and more. Below are the videos from their press conference:
Maybe they click early, like Kelsey’s 2022-23 team at Charleston; which won a program-record 31 games. Maybe they stink out of the gate. The Cougars did last year, he said, before winning 23 of their final 26 to secure consecutive conference tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.
In short, make of the first look what you will. There’s a lot of ground to cover between now and then, but Kelsey is hopeful the coming weeks will build a strong foundation for Year 1 of his tenure.
