Pat Kelsey was named the 24th all-time head men’s basketball coach at the College of Charleston on March 25, 2021.
Kelsey's set records during his second season at the helm on of the Cougar program. He led the Cougars to a 31-4 record and the program's first CAA title since 208. The Cougars won twenty-straight contests on their way to an automatic bid to March Madness. Charleston won the 2022 Charleston Classic and spent four week's ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, peaking at No. 18. Boasting a solidified ten-man rotation, the Cougars were also the only team in the CAA to have had three players recognized as the CAA Player of the Week. He was named the USBWA and NABC District Coach of the Year.
He brought in nearly an entirely new roster in his first campaign with a young core and just two returnees in 2021-22. The Cougars won 17 games, and secured a berth in the CAA Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2019 in year one. The 17th win matched the most the Cougars won in legendary coach John Kresse's first season at the helm in 1979-80. Over the course of the campaign, Kelsey secured his 200th career win with a Feb. 15 victory over Drexel. With 203 wins and counting, he is one of just four active Division I coaches with at least 203 victories in 10 or fewer seasons: Kelsey, Chris Beard, Archie Miller and Bryce Drew.
Kelsey guided two players to All-CAA honors in John Meeks and Dimitrius Underwood, and two freshmen earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors (Reyne Smith and Ben Burnham) in the same season for the first time since 2015-16. Kelsey's high-octane pace wreaked havoc with CofC ranking third nationally in possessions per game and 26th in scoring while leading the conference in offensive rebounding.
Over the course of his first campaign in Charleston, the Cougars beat SoCon champion Chattanooga on the road, CAA champion Delaware on the road, swept Tulane, downed Old Dominion in Norfolk, swept Elon, Northeastern and William & Mary in league play and blew out Hofstra in the CAA Tournament by 16. All four of CofC's standout freshmen return in 2022-23, joined by a host of talented newcomers.
The fifth all-time winningest coach in the history of the Big South Conference, he resurrected the proud basketball tradition at Winthrop University, averaging 20.7 wins per season over the last nine years in Rock Hill, S.C. No other Big South program can tout more wins overall or more conference wins in that time span.
Kelsey, 45, will lead yet another tradition-rich basketball program as College of Charleston ranks seventh all-time (.685) among the winningest programs in NCAA Division I history with the likes of Kentucky (.762), North Carolina (.735), Kansas (.727), Duke (.710), UCLA (.688) and UNLV (.687).
The 2021 Big South Conference Coach of the Year most recently guided the Eagles to a 23-2 campaign, a school-record 21-game win streak and Big South tournament title, earning the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid for a third time under his watch.
The brand of basketball that Kelsey instilled in the Eagle program was an exciting one as it gained national recognition receiving votes in both The Associated Press and Coaches Top 25 Polls. The Eagles also ranked as high as No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and led the conference in scoring offense, averaging 78.9 points per game, which ranked No. 31 nationally.
A two-time finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award and finalist for the 2021 Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award, Kelsey compiled a 186-95 (.662) overall record and an impressive 110-46 (.705) mark in conference play. Winthrop also won the Big South regular-season title four times – in 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.
In all, 16 Winthrop players were selected all-conference, while three were tabbed Big South Player of the Year, one Big South Freshman of the Year and two Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player.
His previous coaching stops include his alma mater Xavier (2009-12), where he served as Associate Head Coach under Chris Mack as well as Wake Forest, where he served as Assistant Coach (2004-09) and Director of Basketball Operations (2001-04) under Dino Gaudio and the late Skip Prosser.
Kelsey graduated cum laude in 1998 from Xavier University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing. He began his collegiate playing career at the University of Wyoming, before transferring and playing three seasons at point guard for the Musketeers from 1995 to 1998.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Kelsey and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Ruthie, Caroline and Johnny.
PAT KELSEY FILE
CAREER HONORS
· 2023 NABC, USBWA District Coach of the Year
· 2023 Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List
· 2021 Big South Conference Coach of the Year
· Two-Time Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award Finalist (2016 and 2021)
· 2021 CollegeInsider.com Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award Finalist
· 2020 CollegeInsider.com Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Finalist
OVERALL COACHING RECORD
2012-13: 14-17
2013-14: 20-13 (Big South Championship Game)
2014-15: 19-13 (Big South Championship Game)
2015-16: 23-9 (Big South Regular Season Co-Champions)
2016-17: 26-7 (Big South Regular Season Co-Champions and Tournament Champions, NCAA First Round)
2017-18: 19-12
2018-19: 18-12
2019-20: 24-10 (Big South Regular Season Co-Champions and Tournament Champions)
2020-21: 23-2 (Big South Regular Season Champions and Tournament Champions, NCAA First Round)
2021-22: 17-15
2022-23: 31-4 (CAA Regular Season Co-Champions and Tournament Champions, NCAA First Round)
Overall Record: 234-114 (.672)
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT PAT KELSEY
“Pat Kelsey has ‘IT.’ The combination of caring for his players, intelligence and coaching acumen. He understands player and personal development and personal development and has a tremendous work ethic. Most importantly, he is a winner on-and-off the court.”
— Nick Nurse, Head Coach, Toronto Raptors
"Pat Kelsey is the real deal. Charleston fans are getting the most energetic and passionate coach in the country. He will connect with his players, the campus and the community like no other. A good family man and a heck of a coach. The Kelsey Era will be special."
— Chris Mack, Head Coach, Louisville
"Pat Kelsey is a great coach. He is an energetic teacher, recruiter, strategist, and he is a principled leader. Pat is demanding and encouraging, and puts each player in a position to be successful. Players don’t just play for Pat Kelsey, he works tirelessly for his players."
— Jay Bilas, ESPN College Basketball Analyst
“He loves challenges and the game of basketball. His energy and competitive spirit have always reflected that. He’s learned from the best and his passion forces people to get on board. I’m excited for him and the next step of his career!”
— Luke Kuechly, Retired NFL Linebacker, Carolina Panthers
