Louisville Coach Pat Kelsey Has Personal Connection To Indiana

Born in Cincinnati, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey grew up as a big fan of Indiana basketball and Steve Alford. He’ll have a chance to coach against the Hoosiers Wednesday in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Louisville Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey on the sideline against Bellarmine. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

Pat Kelsey wasn’t sure if he should reveal a bit of personal history ahead of Wednesday’s game.

The first-year Louisville coach is focused on defeating Indiana in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, but a younger version of himself used to be on the other side of this matchup.

"I don't even know if I should say this, but I grew up as an Indiana fan when I was a kid. Steve Alford was my favorite player,” Kelsey said Tuesday. “When they won the championship in '87, I just remember rooting like crazy for Indiana.”

Kelsey, a point guard himself, may have taken some pointers from Alford’s game when he played at Wyoming and Xavier from 1993-98. But his Indiana fandom eventually faded, and he began to root for Xavier, where his father played. 

Still, he has fond memories and respect for the program he grew up rooting for.

“Obviously very aware of their history and their mystique and their tradition,” Kelsey said. "And obviously coach Woodson is a big part of that, playing for one of the greatest coaches in the history of coaching in Bobby Knight.”

Kelsey said he’s met Indiana coach Mike Woodson a few times on the recruiting trail, but he’s been familiar with Woodson since his playing days and time in the NBA. Kelsey, 49, is in his first year at Louisville after three seasons at College of Charleston. 

He led Charleston to a 75-27 record, two Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the past two seasons.

Kelsey thinks Woodson’s Hoosiers are tough to prepare for and defend because of their variety of weapons.

Indiana enters the game with four players averaging double-digit points: Mackenzie Mgbako (18.8 ppg), Myles Rice (14.8 ppg), Malik Reneau (13.5 ppg) and Oumar Ballo (12 ppg). 

“All four of those guys have a chance to all be NBA players, so that first and foremost talks and speaks to the level of talent that they have on their team,” Kelsey said. “Then schematically, coach Woodson and the staff does a really good job of putting them in advantageous positions that make you make tough positions, defensively and in scouting.” 

“Those are the things we’ve been working on the last few days. Obviously they’re big, strong and physical inside, and they can go at you with multiple players. Then they’re skilled and dynamic on the perimeter as well, so they have a good inside-outside threat. I have a lot of respect for their talent level and their coaching, and we gotta be on it defensively to defend them.”

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