Pat Kelsey

New Louisville men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey addresses his introductory news conference. March 28, 2024. (WDRB Photo)

 ERIC CRAWFORD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- College of Charleston coach Pat Kelsey was not the most talked about candidate during the University of Louisville coaching search but he was around from the start of it.

He was, among the candidates mentioned for the job, perhaps the least-known, at least in the city of Louisville. Now that he has taken the job and will be introduced in a news conference Thursday afternoon on campus, here are four important things to know about Kelsey.

Colleagues and former players all use the same word when talking about him: Energy. He's been known to jump in to run point for his scout team. His mentor and old college coach, the late Skip Prosser, said of him: "Kels makes coffee nervous." But he has directed that energy into 11 winning seasons in 12 years of coaching and four mid-major trips to the NCAA Tournament.

More to know about the new 48-year-old coach of the Cardinals:

1. PROSSER IS A MAJOR INFLUENCE

Kelsey, as an assistant coach, was there when Prosser died of a heart attack in his Wake Forest coaching office at the age of 56. He played for Prosser at Xavier and coached under him. It was a day that has stuck with him and in many ways formed a great deal of his philosophies as a coach.

"It was one of the most profound losses and had an impact on me that'll last for the rest of my life," Kelsey told Charleston coach and author David Seay in a video interview in 2023. "But Coach Prosser, the things that he not only taught me on the floor but taught me off the floor, the legacy that he left ... that'll be paid forward through people like me that learned from him. And now, I'm to the point where I'm importing the same knowledge, the same beliefs, the same teachings that he taught me to players that I coach today. And Coach Prosser used to say all the time, and I don't know who came up with this quote, but I attribute it to him because he's the one that told it to me, that, ‘'True genius is the result of an uncluttered mind.' The last thing somebody likes me needs is a cluttered mind because I know there's such thing as adult ADD — and I don't know if I've ever been diagnosed with it — but I got it. I just try to keep my life simple. What I'm about is my faith, my family, profound friendships in my life and then my passion.

"Putting God first in my life and my relationship with Jesus is the most important thing to me. My family, being a father and trying to be a good husband every, single day and having an impact on my kids’ lives and helping to make them better people and adults as they move forward. Friendships, profound friendships, deep friendships, iron sharpens iron with people in my life that push me to make me better. And then my passion. ... You know. the Lord gave us that in droves. My passion is that of being a teacher and Coach Prosser used to say there's an Emerson quote, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, 'Our chief want in life is someone who can make us do what we can.' And that's what he thought his main role was as a coach and as a teacher in life is to push people to be their best. And I think that's my passion in life."

Twice, Kelsey has been a finalist for the Skip Prosser man of the year award, given annually to an NCAA Division I men's coach who excels in competition and in strong moral character.

2. HIS TEAMS PLAY AT A FAST PACE

There have been plenty of questions about Kelsey’s coaching style. Beyond being energetic, he wants teams that play hard and are connected. Every coach will tell you that, of course.

Last season at Charleston, his team ranked 53rd in the nation in offensive efficiency but only 178th on defense in Ken Pomeroy’s tempo-free metrics. The team played at the 51st fastest pace in the nation. The year prior, Charleston ranked No. 29 in tempo. His first year there, it was No. 2.

His team last season also put up three-pointers. It ranked 15th in the nation in percentage of its offense derived from three-point shots and a whopping 30.6 three-point attempts per game. It took care of the ball, turning it over only 9.9 times per game.

In recruiting, Kelsey puts a premium on shooters. A chance encounter when then-Toronto Raptors assistant (and now head coach) Nick Nurse began an evolution in his offensive thinking. Today, Kelsey predicates his attack on putting shooters all over the floor, spreading the court and emphasizing dunks and layups or quality three-point attempts.

With the court properly spread, he said, "It's hard for the defense to stay attached."

Defensively, Kelsey uses many elements of the pack line that guys like former Louisville coach Chris Mack (for whom he worked at Xavier) are known but he extends his defense more than the traditional pack line attacks.

3. HE WENT VIRAL AFTER SANDY HOOK

The moment for which Kelsey is best known nationally was an emotional news conference moment after a game at Ohio State in which he reflected on the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.

Kelsey, who was about to head back home to Rock Hill, South Carolina, and his two young daughters, took a moment to reflect on what had happened, and his words resonated not only around the country, but with several families of victims of the shooting.

Head Basketball Coach Pat Kelsey makes a heartfelt statement about the tragedy in Newtown, CT in a post game press conference.

Video Courtesy: ESPN/BTN

"I'm going to walk upstairs, and I’ll walk into two pink rooms," Kelsey said. "OK, with a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old, laying in that pink room with a bunch of teddy bears laying in that room. I'm going to give them the biggest hug and the biggest kiss I've ever given him. And there's 20 families in Newport, Conn., that are walking into a pink room with a bunch of teddy bears with nobody laying in those beds. And it's tragic. And I don't know what needs to be done. I'm not smart enough to know what needs to be done. OK? I know this country has got issues. Is it a gun issue? Is it a mental illness issue? Or is it a society that has lost the fact that understanding that decent human values are important in our leaders? I didn't vote for President Obama, OK. But you know what, he's my president now. He's my leader. I need him to step up. OK? Mr. (John) Boehner, the Speaker of the House, he's a Xavier guy. He's a Cincinnati guy, okay. He needs to step up. Parents, teachers, rabbis, priests, coaches, everybody needs to step up. This has to be a time for change."

In the wake of those comments, the family of one Sandy Hook victim reached out to Kelsey. He befriended them and had them down for a game at Winthrop in which his players each wore the name of a Sandy Hook victim on the back of their jersey.

Kelsey has participated in other fund-raising activities over the years, and provided support for many charitable causes.

4. YEP, HE HAS A TATOO ON HIS ARM

Kelsey occasionally will wear short sleeves and show off the tattoo on his left arm. He began the inking process at Winthrop, where he promised his players that if they made the NCAA Tournament he'd get a tattoo.

When they did, he made good on the promise.

What is it? We’ll let Kelsey himself reveal that answer at some point.

He is not, it should be noted, the first Louisville coach with a tattoo.

Rick Pitino promised his team in 2013 that if it won a national championship, he'd get a tattoo. He also made good on that promise.

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