Report: Pat Kelsey Hires Ronnie Hamilton as Assistant at Louisville

Hamilton has spent the last two seasons with the Tigers, following a four-year stint with Ole Miss
LSU assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton
LSU assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton / Louisiana State University Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - New head coach Pat Kelsey's first staff with the Louisville men's basketball program is nearly complete.

Kelsey is hiring LSU assistant coach Ronnie Hamilton to his staff with the Cardinals, according to The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman.

Hamilton's reported hiring comes roughly a week after Goodman reported that Kelsey would be bringing his top three assistants with him from Charleston. Kelsey later confirmed the news in a radio interview last Friday, but none of the moves have been officially announced by Louisville just yet.

Kelsey now has just one more spot to fill on his assistant coaching staff. The NCAA passed legislation in early 2023 that expanded the limits on coaching staffs from three to five, although these added two coaches may not recruit off-campus.

Hamilton has spent the last two seasons with LSU, being brought on by head coach Matt McMahon when he was hired to take over the Tigers ahead of their 2022-23 season. Known for his prowess as a recruiter and a player developer, he helped bring in seven 247Sports Composite four-star prospects over the 2022, 2023 and 2024 cycles to Baton Rouge.

The Oxford, Miss. native spent the 2018 through 2022 seasons in his hometown with Ole Miss as an assistant under Kermit Davis. During his four years with the Rebels, he helped recruit three of their five high-ranked signees in program history, as well the No. 27 class in the 2022 cycle.

Working primarly with the guards during his time at Ole Miss, he helped produce three All-SEC players during his time at The Grove. Devontae Shuler took home First-Team honors in 2021, Breein Tyree earned First-Team honors in 2019 and 2020, while Terence Davis received a Second-Team nod in 2019.

Hamilton also has stints as an assistant coach with Middle Tennessee, Houston, Tulane, The Citadel and Tarleton State. He graduated in 2002 from Duke, where was actually a four-year letterman with the Blue Devils' football team. He signed a UDFA contract with the New York Giants, was cut during the preseason, then decided to pursue a career in basketball coaching.

(Photo of Ronnie Hamilton via Louisiana State University Athletics)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic