The Louisville Cardinals found their next men’s head basketball coach in Pat Kelsey. Kelsey has not been on the job too long but is already feeling the love from the Cardinals fanbase.
During a recent interview, the Louisville head coach shared his thoughts about the fans, the community, and how they have embraced him and his family thus far.
“Well, I am undefeated right now, which is awesome,” Kelsey said jokingly. “No, it’s been awesome. You just feel it; you feel the energy in the fan base, the passion people have for Louisville basketball. Luke Hancock came to the gym two days ago. We were talking, and one thing he asked me is, ‘What’s the best thing? Give me one thing.’ And I did tell him about those moments where I go, ‘Gosh darn, Louisville.’”
Back in late March, Kelsey agreed to a five-year deal with a base salary of $2.3 million per season to become Louisville’s next men’s basketball head coach. Prior to becoming the Cardinals’ head coach, he spent three seasons at the College of Charleston, earning back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
“The other thing that blows me away is when you go out into town, you’re pumping gas, or you’re out of the restaurant; you’re anywhere, and you get the high-fives the, ‘Coach, man, we’re so excited, so glad that you’re here,’” said Kelsey.
“And then, as you know, this is not only one of the most passionate fan bases in the country, but it’s also one of the most knowledgeable. And I have about a million assistant coaches out there. So you’ll also get a couple of suggestions on how to defend the pick-and-roll, maybe our set play packages, and things like that. But no, it’s been awesome and I appreciate it so much; not only embracing me but embracing our family coming into this community as well.”
Since taking the position, Kelsey has seen plenty of support from the Louisville community, including backing from the Louisville 502 Circle NIL collective. He’s also made a few coaching moves that have endeared him to the Cardinals faithful, like hiring former star guard Peyton Silva as an assistant on the team.
Louisville and Kelsey still have a long way to go, especially with his goal of making the program a fixture in the national championship picture moving forward. But for now, it appears as if things have started off on the right foot between the Cardinals’ new head coach and their eager fan base.
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