Enthusiastic Kelsey says Louisville is ‘ultimate job’

Mar 28, 2024, 07:37 PM ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– Louisville athletic director Josh Heird set a goal of working with a coach who wanted the task so terribly he would crawl to the campus to accept it.Pat Kelsey didn’t do that, however he demonstrated plenty of energy and passion when he was presented as the Cardinals’ guys’s basketball coach Thursday. He almost talked himself hoarse while explaining his vision for the moribund program, his appreciation for Louisville’s custom and, naturally, his strength.

“I revealed to Josh that I would I run here,” Kelsey stated. “It’s the best task in the United States of America. He knew how bad I wanted it. … However I was ready when my name was called. I believe I’ve been prepared for that interview my entire life. It’s the ultimate job.”

The 48-year-old Kelsey, who went 75-27 in three seasons at Charleston, is successful Kenny Payne, a former Cardinals player who was fired after going 12-52 in two traditionally bad seasons. Louisville has actually sustained three successive losing projects preceded by a series of scandals, one of which culminated in 123 abandoned triumphes, including its 2013 nationwide title. The Cardinals made their last NCAA competition look in 2019 under Chris Mack.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Kelsey discussed Payne along

with Hall of Popularity coaches Denny Crum and Rick Pitino as part of the program’s custom and said his predecessor is welcome. That remains to be seen, thinking about the criticism Payne faced from a fan base desperate for Louisville to restore relevance.His employing topped an extended search by Heird. Baylor’s Scott Drew and Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May, who took the Michigan job, were discussed as targets before Kelsey’s name surfaced.”This search took longer than individuals desired it to,”Heird said.”I comprehend that, however I was not going to jeopardize on any of those traits. I’ve just gone over that this hire means excessive to say,’This guy is pretty good, however …’I don’t have to say that about Pat Kelsey. We found the outright best guy for the task.”The Cincinnati native got a five-year contract with a base annual wage of$ 2.3 million plus incentives, that include $50,000 for reaching the NCAA competition, another $50,000 for each March Madness triumph and $500,000 for winning the championship game. The University of Louisville Athletic Association authorized the offer before Kelsey’s news conference at the Cardinals’practice facility, which was loaded with fans and school officials.The significance of the transfer website and name, image and likeness in college athletics didn’t seem to faze Kelsey, who originates from a

Charleston program Heird said was among the nation’s most resourced in NIL outside the power conferences.Kelsey led the Cougars to a 27-8 record this past season and their second successive NCAA tournament look. He won consecutive Colonial Athletic Association regular-season

and competition champions. His 261-122 career record consists of a 187-95 mark at Winthrop, which won 4 Big South Conference regular-season titles and 3 competition crowns from 2016 to 2021.”Louisville just got a significant upgrade to its guys’s basketball program,”Charleston athletic director Matt Roberts stated in a declaration. “We want Pat, [spouse]

Lisa and the Kelsey household all the best in this new chapter of their lives.”