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The Louisville basketball program hired Pat Kelsey to be its next coach, and he’s already hit the ground running according to recent reports. The former College of Charleston leader has apparently secured a few notable NIL donations, one of which was said to originally be headed to Kentucky.
He’s also been able to not only bring with him a few of his Charleston donors, but also a couple of Cougar players who will soon suit up for the Cardinals.
Louisville thinks they’ve gotten their guy!
That would be a welcomed change following the disastrous stint that the Kenny Payne era. Over the last two seasons, the Cards posted a 12-52 overall record while finishing last in the ACC in back-to-back campaigns.
Drama seemed to surround the staff, with reports going as far as to claim that fellow coaches leaked false intel in hopes of sullying Payne’s damaged reputation further.
The project ended this offseason with the program parting ways with the former Louisville basketball player. The Cardinals set sights on College of Charleston’s Pat Kelsey shortly thereafter.
Kelsey took over the Cougars in 2021 after spending nine seasons at Winthrop. He posted a 75-27 overall record, going 58-12 with two conference championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances over the last two years.
Now, he’ll get his first taste of the Power level.
Card Nation……WE NEED YOU. Thank you for being the BEST fan base in America. Let’s crush this thing. L’s Up! #502circlehttps://t.co/OZRxcDFzCv pic.twitter.com/kOWftYZkSb
— Pat Kelsey (@patkelsey) April 1, 2024
While some might need an adjustment period to settle into their new role, Kesley seems to be moving 100 miles a minute. He’s already on the recruiting trail, working on both potential players and donors.
Pat Kelsey swiped an NIL donation from rival Kentucky.
Talk about getting off on the right foot! There’s not much you can do better in your first days as head coach than take down the Wildcats in a head-to-head battle.
Radio host Drew Deener broke down the major NIL win over the weekend.
“I’m down here with somebody who has the kind of money that matters,” he said on social media. “I showed him [Pat Kelsey’s] press conference… and he says, ‘Alright, I’ve got to know more about this guy.’
“I texted Pat Kelsey, and said, ‘Here’s a guy you need to talk to…’ Pat Kelsey called my phone within five minutes, and he’s flipped five digits of NIL money that was going to one school, that’s now going to Louisville… There was $15K getting ready to go to Kentucky that is probably not going there anymore.”
Drew Deener tells a story of how one phone call from Pat Kelsey to a booster flipped $15,000 that was going to Kentucky NIL that is now headed to #Louisville.
Someone then spoke to a business owner in Charleston that says his money is following Kelsey from CofC to #Louisville.… pic.twitter.com/LWK2POH1xN
— Jeff Lightsy Jr. (@jlightsy7) April 1, 2024
He continued on to talk about a donor in Charleston who’s going to continue to support Kelsey in his move to Louisville.
“A business owner down there said his money’s following Kelsey from Charleston to Louisville.”
That’s not the only thing the head coach is bringing with him from his former program.
A pair of transfers in Reyne Smith and James Scott have already committed to play for the Cardinals. Scott shot 79% (!) from the field as a freshman while adding 45 blocked shots. Smith is a veteran that made nearly 40% of his 112 three-point shots a year ago.
Both should factor into the rotation upon stepping onto campus.
Pat Kelsey has clearly won the press conference with his new school. The next step will be building the program back up.