Louisville basketball is ‘the pinnacle.’ Pat Kelsey’s vision is to lead it there again

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Pat Kelsey didn’t get much sleep the night before he was introduced as Louisville men’s basketball head coach.

When he did, he had a vision.

It’s a recurring dream, the 48-year-old Cincinnati native said. It begins with St. Peter greeting him at heaven’s gate.

He’s given a tour of the neighborhood. The first house they come across is painted blue and red and has a Kansas Jayhawks logo on it. “That’s where Bill Self lives,” St. Peter says.

After passing the homes of Baylor’s Scott Drew, Michigan’s Dusty May and Kentucky’s John Calipari, they reach their final stop.

New Louisville basketball head coach Pat Kelsey made remarks during his announcement at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center at U of L in Louisville, Ky. on March 28, 2024.

“I’m talking (way) out in the distance; the moonlight’s hitting it perfect,” Kelsey said. “(It’s) the biggest deal you’ve ever seen; and it is a, ‘Stinkin’ wow.’ There’s red all over that deal; and there’s a big cardinal on it.

“I’m like, ‘St. Peter, that’s me?’ He goes, ‘No.’

“I go, ‘Denny Crum?’ (He says), ‘No.’ (I say), ‘Rick Pitino?’ He says, ‘Son, that’s where God lives.'”

Welcome to the Kelsey era. Thursday was for turning pages and selling hope.

After sinking to historic lows during Kenny Payne’s disastrous two-year tenure and a topsy-turvy search for his successor, U of L finalized a five-year deal paying $2.3 million annually to a man with 12 years of head-coaching experience whose mentor, the late Skip Prosser, said makes “coffee nervous.”

Kelsey exuded energy from the moment he stepped in front of the microphone at the Planet Fitness Kueber Center. He was resolute in his belief that a program Payne described numerous times as “broken” when he arrived was “ready” on Day 1 for a return to national prominence despite going 12-52 over the past two seasons.

He called it “the pinnacle” of his profession. Then, he outlined his vision for getting the Cards there again.

“If you don’t plan on winning,” he said, “don’t put your shoes on.”

Table the X’s and O’s…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/louisville-basketball-pinnacle-pat-kelseys-013254514.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2024-03-29 01:32:54

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