LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This time a week ago, Louisville basketball fans were still wondering what had happened. They had no idea what was about to hit them.
Pat Kelsey has been the Louisville basketball coach for seven days.
In that time, he has secured commitments from three transfers, filled a good portion of his coaching staff (though the inevitable paperwork will take time), returned to Charleston to tie up loose ends and showed up in his Floyd Street office by 5 o'clock most mornings, sometimes earlier. He also has eagerly engaged with Louisville fans through social media, participated in two X Spaces discussions moderated by ESPN Radio's Drew Deener and lent his support to a 502Circle NIL fundraising initiative, which has amassed more than $500,000 (to be matched by a prominent donor) in its initial three days.
That's pretty much it. That's the story. I don't have any tales from the eye of the storm. I'm watching the same things you're watching. Long glimpses of the guy are difficult, because he doesn't seem to stand still.
I'm only going to make the following comparison once, then put it away. I'm not saying one approach is preferable to the other. Just pointing out that one is, definitely, much faster than the other.
Kelsey landed his first recruit, Charleston guard Reyne Smith, on day three as coach. He landed his second, Charleston's James Scott, on day five and his third, James Madison's Terrence Edwards Jr. on day seven. In between, he told Field of 68 that he plans to import the bulk of his coaching staff from Charleston to Louisville.
For those keeping score. Kenny Payne landed his first recruit (Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a Tennessee transfer) on day 38 and named his first assistant on day 25.
I know. The "let it go" crowd actually is right. But there's a reason for that sentence. The contrast in styles makes the speed with which Kelsey is working seem, if possible, even faster.
Skip Prosser, a mentor of Kelsey's, always used to say, "If you can't be on time, be early." He also famously remarked on recruiting: "You can't hunt the caribou sitting in the lodge."
There hasn't been a whole lot of sitting in the lodge the past seven days for Kelsey.
On Wednesday, after getting the commitment from Edwards, he had to hustle. With an NCAA recruiting dead period beginning Thursday, he was back on a plane to visit with a recruit. Before leaving town, though, and unprompted from anyone in the communications office at U of L, Kelsey pulled out his phone to thank people who had given to the fundraising effort by 502Circle, the official collective of U of L athletics.
Rick Kueber announced Monday that, on behalf of himself, his brother David and his company (Glow Brands), he would match up to $1 million in donations specifically for men's basketball. Since that time, the Louisville fan base has caught fire, donating more than $500,000 to men's basketball NIL efforts. Anything above $1 million will go to other sports at the school.
The money is intended as an immediate boost for Kelsey as he looks to rebuild a roster that has seen every scholarship player from last season's 8-24 team enter the NCAA transfer portal.
"The 502Circle, what my man Rick has stepped up and done, is huge," Kelsey said. "I want to make sure I'm never delaying gratitude, and saying thank you, once again, for putting us in a position to be competitive with the biggest of big, the best of the best — which is Louisville basketball, and what Card Nation is all about. Happy hunting! Hitting the road. Ls up!"
Then Kelsey was off again, with miles to go before a brief sleep, then back to work on day eight.
Louisville Basketball Coverage:
- ROSTER REBUILD | JMU's Edwards, Sun Belt Player of the Year, reportedly commits to Louisville
- Louisville men's basketball lands another Charleston transfer under Kelsey
- Aussie sharpshooter Smith ready to help launch Kelsey culture at Louisville
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