LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Pat Kelsey wasn’t a household name in Louisville before word got around Wednesday that he would become the Cardinals’ new men’s basketball coach.
But by the end of his introductory news conference on campus Thursday, everything had changed.
Kelsey spoke for more than 50 minutes in the Kueber Center at the University of Louisville, laying bare his energy and passion for a room full of Cardinals fans, boosters and alumni.
The U of L Athletic Association Board approved a contract worth at least $11.5 million over five years for Kelsey, who arrived in Louisville after three years as the head coach at College of Charleston.
He’s coached 12 seasons in NCAA Division I and been to the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently this season with Charleston.
The 48-year-old father of three is a native of Cincinnati, where he played high school basketball for Roger Bacon and Elder high schools and in college at Xavier University for the late Skip Prosser, for whom also he was an assistant at Wake Forest University.
He also was an assistant to Dino Gaudio at Wake after Prosser’s death and to former Louisville coach Chris Mack during his time at Xavier.
He’s coached at four different universities and been on the staff for top-10 teams.
This, at Louisville, Kelsey said, is the best of the best.
