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LEXINGTON — "We're trying to be the 1%!" Louisville basketball director of player development Peyton Siva shouted to Aboubacar Traore, holding up his right pointer finger and crouching halfway down to the court at Rupp Arena Wednesday.
"The No. 1 culture in the country!" Traore fired back, mimicking Siva's stance with a child-like grin.
"No. 1!" Siva echoed. "Above the line."
Assistant coaches, players, managers and other support staff teased each other with signature Pat Kelsey sayings like "the 1%," "above the line," and "No. 1 culture in the country," during the Cards NCAA Tournament open practice session. There are so many to choose from, between classic PK originals ("25 strong," "Power of the unit") and the Skip Prosser-isms he inherited from his late mentor.
"You can't sharpen your teeth eating oatmeal."
"You find out what's inside the orange when you squeeze it."
"Never delay gratitude."
The latter is one a lot of Kelsey's players point to as a favorite. The best ones, they told The Courier Journal, are those that apply to life and basketball. Though, it's hard for many to pick just one preferred catchphrase.
"He talks in sayings," freshman Khani Rooths said, scratching his chin trying to come up with a shortlist.
"He's one of those guys who says all his sayings every day," senior Terrence Edwards Jr. added.
A lot of them are corny, sure. (Hence the playful delivery during shootaround.) But corny gospel. Everyone in that locker room took a chance trusting Kelsey and following him to Louisville in hopes of being where they are right now: March Madness. Kelsey's manifestational adages played a critical role in that journey.
Here's a collection of some of the Cardinals' favorite PK-isms:
"When you've got the ball, and they're (the defense is) pressing, doing a full-court press," Rooths said, "he'll be like, 'No pee pee.'"
Wait. "No P.P." (to be fair, a lot of Kelsey-isms are packaged as acronyms), or "No pee pee?"
"Yeah, no peeing down your leg," Rooths said "Basically, just be a man, take care of the ball, make the right decisions."
If you don't make the right decisions, though, "No pee pee" becomes an extended metaphor.
"If you turn it over, he kind of starts screaming out that you got pee running down your leg and stuff like that," said senior guard Reyne Smith, who played three years for Kelsey at the College of Charleston. "That one's funny."
After Louisville's regular-season finale win over Stanford, Kelsey took a moment to reflect on his 2024-25 team. A group of young men who hardly knew each other, or only knew of each other, when they got to Kentucky over the summer. Now, they're brothers for life.
"It’s weird for a bunch of 21-, 22-, 19-year-old guys," Kelsey said. "You know, I got teenagers. They’re too cool a lot."
Luckily, this group wasn't. Each player willingly set aside their ego because being "too cool," as Kelsey says, "will get you beat."
That's one of Traore's favorite Kelsey-isms. The team flipped it on him Sunday during the Selection Show. Everyone but Kelsey was wearing matching gray Adidas sweatsuits. When the players used Kelsey's own words against him, he felt moved enough to change in time for the cut to their live reaction on CBS.
Kelsey is known for his boundless energy. It's part of what Louisville's fanbase loves about him. He injected life into a once proud program deemed all but deceased as recently as last year. It shows in the way he paces the sidelines during games and jaunts through campus recruiting for the Ville'ns student section.
The same standard applies to his players.
That's where, "Smiles on faces, bounces on feet," comes in. Think of it as a spin on "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," with a little "Never delay gratitude" sprinkled in.
"You gotta be ready to go with a smile on your face," fifth-year senior Frank Anselem-Ibe said, "because hooping in the NCAA is a blessing."
The ABCs of Kelsey actually include an acronym using the same three letters: "A.B.C."
That's fifth-year senior J'Vonne Hadley's favorite. "A" stands for "academics," "B" for "basketball," and "C" for "character." Then there's "E + R = O," meaning "event plus response equals outcome." And "No B.C.D.," which translates to "No blaming, complaining or defending."
These are the sayings Kelsey's players will take with them beyond basketball. The ones that take inspiration from Prosser's bit about oranges. It's all about how you respond to what happens to you. How will you handle your circumstances, on the court and off it? Will you let your trials detract from your character? Or are you stronger than that?
"It's just so much he says, but it's so powerful," point guard Chucky Hepburn said. "It's great to have a coach like that."
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at [email protected], and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NCAA Tournament 2025 Lexington: Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey
Continue reading...
"The No. 1 culture in the country!" Traore fired back, mimicking Siva's stance with a child-like grin.
"No. 1!" Siva echoed. "Above the line."
Assistant coaches, players, managers and other support staff teased each other with signature Pat Kelsey sayings like "the 1%," "above the line," and "No. 1 culture in the country," during the Cards NCAA Tournament open practice session. There are so many to choose from, between classic PK originals ("25 strong," "Power of the unit") and the Skip Prosser-isms he inherited from his late mentor.
"You can't sharpen your teeth eating oatmeal."
"You find out what's inside the orange when you squeeze it."
"Never delay gratitude."
The latter is one a lot of Kelsey's players point to as a favorite. The best ones, they told The Courier Journal, are those that apply to life and basketball. Though, it's hard for many to pick just one preferred catchphrase.
"He talks in sayings," freshman Khani Rooths said, scratching his chin trying to come up with a shortlist.
"He's one of those guys who says all his sayings every day," senior Terrence Edwards Jr. added.
A lot of them are corny, sure. (Hence the playful delivery during shootaround.) But corny gospel. Everyone in that locker room took a chance trusting Kelsey and following him to Louisville in hopes of being where they are right now: March Madness. Kelsey's manifestational adages played a critical role in that journey.
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Here's a collection of some of the Cardinals' favorite PK-isms:
'No pee pee'
"When you've got the ball, and they're (the defense is) pressing, doing a full-court press," Rooths said, "he'll be like, 'No pee pee.'"
Wait. "No P.P." (to be fair, a lot of Kelsey-isms are packaged as acronyms), or "No pee pee?"
"Yeah, no peeing down your leg," Rooths said "Basically, just be a man, take care of the ball, make the right decisions."
If you don't make the right decisions, though, "No pee pee" becomes an extended metaphor.
"If you turn it over, he kind of starts screaming out that you got pee running down your leg and stuff like that," said senior guard Reyne Smith, who played three years for Kelsey at the College of Charleston. "That one's funny."
'Too cool will get you beat'
After Louisville's regular-season finale win over Stanford, Kelsey took a moment to reflect on his 2024-25 team. A group of young men who hardly knew each other, or only knew of each other, when they got to Kentucky over the summer. Now, they're brothers for life.
"It’s weird for a bunch of 21-, 22-, 19-year-old guys," Kelsey said. "You know, I got teenagers. They’re too cool a lot."
Luckily, this group wasn't. Each player willingly set aside their ego because being "too cool," as Kelsey says, "will get you beat."
That's one of Traore's favorite Kelsey-isms. The team flipped it on him Sunday during the Selection Show. Everyone but Kelsey was wearing matching gray Adidas sweatsuits. When the players used Kelsey's own words against him, he felt moved enough to change in time for the cut to their live reaction on CBS.
'Smiles on faces, bounces on feet'
You must be registered for see images attach
Kelsey is known for his boundless energy. It's part of what Louisville's fanbase loves about him. He injected life into a once proud program deemed all but deceased as recently as last year. It shows in the way he paces the sidelines during games and jaunts through campus recruiting for the Ville'ns student section.
The same standard applies to his players.
That's where, "Smiles on faces, bounces on feet," comes in. Think of it as a spin on "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," with a little "Never delay gratitude" sprinkled in.
"You gotta be ready to go with a smile on your face," fifth-year senior Frank Anselem-Ibe said, "because hooping in the NCAA is a blessing."
The ABCs of Pat Kelsey
You must be registered for see images attach
The ABCs of Kelsey actually include an acronym using the same three letters: "A.B.C."
That's fifth-year senior J'Vonne Hadley's favorite. "A" stands for "academics," "B" for "basketball," and "C" for "character." Then there's "E + R = O," meaning "event plus response equals outcome." And "No B.C.D.," which translates to "No blaming, complaining or defending."
These are the sayings Kelsey's players will take with them beyond basketball. The ones that take inspiration from Prosser's bit about oranges. It's all about how you respond to what happens to you. How will you handle your circumstances, on the court and off it? Will you let your trials detract from your character? Or are you stronger than that?
"It's just so much he says, but it's so powerful," point guard Chucky Hepburn said. "It's great to have a coach like that."
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at [email protected], and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NCAA Tournament 2025 Lexington: Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey
Continue reading...
