Louisville Basketball Starts The Road To Success Tonight
Trials and tribulations have plagued Louisville Basketball over the past few years. Tonight, Pat Kelsey and his coaching staff look to reverse the previous years of torment to Louisville fans.
Grief And Heartache
Louisville Basketball, a once storied program, turned sour. Since Rick Pitino exited the Louisville Cardinals, the previous Cardinal coaches have a combined record of 82-99. An abysmal outcome for a widely considered blue-blood.
Kenny Payne is the main focal point for the atrocious record. Kenny Payne alone combined for 12-52 in his two seasons for the Cardinals.
The previous coach, Chris Mack, underperformed at times but still had the Cardinals ranked number one overall in the AP Poll in 2020. In his four years at Louisville, he combined for a record of 63-36 (.571).
A New Era
On March 28th, 2024, a new era is upon Louisville Basketball. Josh Heird announces the Louisville Cardinals are hiring Pat Kelsey. Pat Kelsey was a head coach at Winthorp for nine years and at the College of Charleston for three.
Kelsey was a four-time Regular Season Champion at Winthrop and three-time Big South Conference Tournament Champions. Pat Kelsey then heads to the College of Charleston where he would eventually have back to back Colonial Athletic Association Tournament wins.
The key word Pat Kelsey brings up when talking about his players is "winner". Pat Kelsey himself is that word, a winner. Something this Louisville fanbase has been craving for quite some time, a breath of fresh air.
Success Runs Through Kelsey
In Pat Kelsey's short tenure, he has 'wowed' this fanbase. He did quite well in the transfer portal, bringing in names like J'Vonne Hadley, Terrence Edwards Jr, Chucky Hepburn, and Koren Johnson. All four-star transfers according to 24/7 Sports.
In the first two preseason games alone, The Cardinals won by a combined score of 205-113. The previous regime went 2-2 in preseason games, already an upgrade in the preseason games alone.
While I don't expect Louisville to run the table and appear back immediately, the potential is definitely there with how the transfer portal helps rebuild programs. Coach Kelsey will look to start the season off with a win against Morehead State tonight at 7pm est in the KFC Yum Center!
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