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LEXINGTON — When they were handed the keys to the Louisville basketball program last March, Pat Kelsey and his staff felt as if they had been gifted a Ferrari.
"You better get in," assistant coach Brian Kloman told The Courier Journal, "and you better drive fast."
What a ride it was.
The Cardinals' 2024-25 season, which will go down as one of the largest one-year turnarounds in Division I history, ended Thursday with a loss to Creighton, 89-75, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena.
Starting entirely from scratch after the disastrous Kenny Payne era, U of L not only exceeded its win total from the previous three campaigns combined but also reached the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2014 — after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll — and made its first appearance among the country's 10 best teams in the AP Top 25 since March 2, 2020.
Not bad for a program Payne compared to the Titanic on his way out the door. Can this level of success be sustained again at one of the sport's 15 all-time winningest institutions? We're about to find out.
This much is for certain, though. Kelsey has taught this hoops-crazed city how to dream big again.
"Coach Kelsey will win multiple national championships," senior point guard Chucky Hepburn told The Courier Journal. "I just know; that's the type of coach he is. Louisville couldn't have hired a better coach."
Longtime Creighton coach Greg McDermott made an astute observation Wednesday, when asked about Louisville during his pregame media availability.
"They look like they're having a blast," he said. That's a credit to coach Kelsey and his staff; they have created a culturewhere they really, truly look like they're enjoying playing the game of basketball."
That's been evident from the first time the Cards took the court together for an organized game, during a summer exhibition tour of the Bahamas. After Game 1, fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor perfectly encapsulated the glaring differences between this group and those that wore the U of L uniform during Payne's tenure: "Everyone knows where everyone is; everyone knows how to make the right play."
It was no small feat, considering Pryor & Co. had only a couple of months to learn not only the system but also one another after making a leap of faith through the NCAA transfer portal. The bonds they forged through grueling workouts with strength coach Eli Foy and team-building exercises such as The Shield presentations — inspired by former Navy coach Ed DeChellis — only grew stronger when adversity hit.
"(Kelsey would) probably rather lose games," junior walk-on Spencer Legg said, "than have a culture that he doesn't think is above the line."
The Power of the Unit is one of the three core tenets of Kelsey's culture: the uncommon commitment to the person next to you, a belief that Legg's job as a member of the scout team is just as important as Hepburn's — the starting floor general.
Louisville was tested early and often when the season tipped off, starting with a 22-point beatdown at the hands of then-No. 12 Tennessee in Game 2 at the KFC Yum! Center; after which Kelsey made no excuses — rather, he thanked athletics director Josh Heird for pushing him to schedule a tough opponent out of the gate.
"That's exactly what this team needed," Kelsey said.
Then, the injuries started piling up. Junior guard Koren Johnson (shoulder) and fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor (knee) were both sidelined for the remainder of the campaign by early January. Senior forward Aboubacar Traore (arm) sat out for more than a month. Hepburn (groin), senior guard Reyne Smith and sixth-year forward Noah Waterman (thumb) combined to miss nine games, as well.
And yet, the Cards only got stronger; winning 21 of their final 23 games. Sure, it was another down year for the ACC, but their nine victories on the road in conference play are tied for the most since the league expanded its schedule in 2012-13; and no team across the program's 111 years of existence has logged five of 20 or more points like they did.
How's this for The Power of the Unit? U of L is the only DI team to have four players go for 30 or more points during a game this season: Hepburn, Smith, Terrence Edwards Jr. and J'Vonne Hadley. The guys who didn't still had their moments, too; look no further than Waterman's last-second basket to avoid a Quad 4 loss to Eastern Kentucky in late December.
To be sure, Kelsey's inaugural team will go down as one of the most beloved in Louisville history.
"Our town was a bit beaten down, and this team has done a lot," Kelsey said. "... It's a tremendous group of young men; and our fan base has seen how they've poured their heart and soul into trying to make that name across our jersey be great once again."
Expectations are only getting higher from here. But Kelsey has the Cards primed for sustainable success.
The Yum! Center is an intimidating place to play again; with U of L finishing the 2024-25 season ranked among the country's top 15 in average announced attendance. 502Circle's name, image and likeness (NIL) war chest he and his staff used to assemble this group? It isn't going anywhere.
At the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, the NIL collective's president, Dan Furman, told The Courier Journal he was already fielding calls from agents representing players who intend to enter the transfer portal. They're interested in brokering deals for spots on the 2025-26 roster.
"They're watching the way our players are playing, the confidence that they play with and the freaking swagger that we coach with," he said. "At the end of the day, it's an attractive place to play basketball again."
Only time will tell if Kelsey can replicate his Year 1 magic in Year 2. But it appears as if the ACC Coach of the Year won't be taking his foot off the gas of the Ferrari anytime soon.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball: Pat Kelsey set Cards up for sustained success
Continue reading...
"You better get in," assistant coach Brian Kloman told The Courier Journal, "and you better drive fast."
What a ride it was.
The Cardinals' 2024-25 season, which will go down as one of the largest one-year turnarounds in Division I history, ended Thursday with a loss to Creighton, 89-75, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena.
Starting entirely from scratch after the disastrous Kenny Payne era, U of L not only exceeded its win total from the previous three campaigns combined but also reached the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2014 — after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll — and made its first appearance among the country's 10 best teams in the AP Top 25 since March 2, 2020.
Not bad for a program Payne compared to the Titanic on his way out the door. Can this level of success be sustained again at one of the sport's 15 all-time winningest institutions? We're about to find out.
This much is for certain, though. Kelsey has taught this hoops-crazed city how to dream big again.
"Coach Kelsey will win multiple national championships," senior point guard Chucky Hepburn told The Courier Journal. "I just know; that's the type of coach he is. Louisville couldn't have hired a better coach."
'They're having a blast'
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Longtime Creighton coach Greg McDermott made an astute observation Wednesday, when asked about Louisville during his pregame media availability.
"They look like they're having a blast," he said. That's a credit to coach Kelsey and his staff; they have created a culturewhere they really, truly look like they're enjoying playing the game of basketball."
That's been evident from the first time the Cards took the court together for an organized game, during a summer exhibition tour of the Bahamas. After Game 1, fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor perfectly encapsulated the glaring differences between this group and those that wore the U of L uniform during Payne's tenure: "Everyone knows where everyone is; everyone knows how to make the right play."
It was no small feat, considering Pryor & Co. had only a couple of months to learn not only the system but also one another after making a leap of faith through the NCAA transfer portal. The bonds they forged through grueling workouts with strength coach Eli Foy and team-building exercises such as The Shield presentations — inspired by former Navy coach Ed DeChellis — only grew stronger when adversity hit.
"(Kelsey would) probably rather lose games," junior walk-on Spencer Legg said, "than have a culture that he doesn't think is above the line."
The Power of the Unit
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The Power of the Unit is one of the three core tenets of Kelsey's culture: the uncommon commitment to the person next to you, a belief that Legg's job as a member of the scout team is just as important as Hepburn's — the starting floor general.
Louisville was tested early and often when the season tipped off, starting with a 22-point beatdown at the hands of then-No. 12 Tennessee in Game 2 at the KFC Yum! Center; after which Kelsey made no excuses — rather, he thanked athletics director Josh Heird for pushing him to schedule a tough opponent out of the gate.
"That's exactly what this team needed," Kelsey said.
Then, the injuries started piling up. Junior guard Koren Johnson (shoulder) and fifth-year forward Kasean Pryor (knee) were both sidelined for the remainder of the campaign by early January. Senior forward Aboubacar Traore (arm) sat out for more than a month. Hepburn (groin), senior guard Reyne Smith and sixth-year forward Noah Waterman (thumb) combined to miss nine games, as well.
And yet, the Cards only got stronger; winning 21 of their final 23 games. Sure, it was another down year for the ACC, but their nine victories on the road in conference play are tied for the most since the league expanded its schedule in 2012-13; and no team across the program's 111 years of existence has logged five of 20 or more points like they did.
How's this for The Power of the Unit? U of L is the only DI team to have four players go for 30 or more points during a game this season: Hepburn, Smith, Terrence Edwards Jr. and J'Vonne Hadley. The guys who didn't still had their moments, too; look no further than Waterman's last-second basket to avoid a Quad 4 loss to Eastern Kentucky in late December.
No brakes
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To be sure, Kelsey's inaugural team will go down as one of the most beloved in Louisville history.
"Our town was a bit beaten down, and this team has done a lot," Kelsey said. "... It's a tremendous group of young men; and our fan base has seen how they've poured their heart and soul into trying to make that name across our jersey be great once again."
Expectations are only getting higher from here. But Kelsey has the Cards primed for sustainable success.
The Yum! Center is an intimidating place to play again; with U of L finishing the 2024-25 season ranked among the country's top 15 in average announced attendance. 502Circle's name, image and likeness (NIL) war chest he and his staff used to assemble this group? It isn't going anywhere.
At the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina, the NIL collective's president, Dan Furman, told The Courier Journal he was already fielding calls from agents representing players who intend to enter the transfer portal. They're interested in brokering deals for spots on the 2025-26 roster.
"They're watching the way our players are playing, the confidence that they play with and the freaking swagger that we coach with," he said. "At the end of the day, it's an attractive place to play basketball again."
Only time will tell if Kelsey can replicate his Year 1 magic in Year 2. But it appears as if the ACC Coach of the Year won't be taking his foot off the gas of the Ferrari anytime soon.
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball: Pat Kelsey set Cards up for sustained success
Continue reading...
