Please note that nothing was cleaned up here, and that no negative responses were excluded. A couple of people chose not to respond.
—“Love the hire to be honest. I am not a big “win the press conference guy”. Pat Kelsey is the polar opposite of Kenny Payne. Experienced head coach, intense, wears emotions on his sleeve, terrific X’s and O’s, organized. I think Kelsey is the perfect hire at the perfect time for this program.” —Jeff Goodman, Field of 68
—“Louisville needs a totally new energy and identity, and Pat Kelsey is going to bring both of those things to the Cardinals program. His teams play with a special level of intensity, and with a tempo that can be electric with the right talent. Pat’s going to revitalize the community in the coming months to be excited about Louisville basketball again. I think this is a quality hire.” —John Fanta, Fox Sports
—“The Louisville brand speaks for itself. The bones are there but it no question needs a facelift. What Louisville has lacked lately is what Pat Kelsey embodies: Energy, enthusiasm and fight. Coach Kelsey knows he wasn’t the number one choice, and we all certainly know he wasn’t the biggest name on the search list. But he’s embraced that. He signed up for the job because he wants to. And that “want to” is exactly what Louisville needs.
Much like Damon Stoudamire, Micah Shrewsberry and Adrian Autry have given their fans a reason to at least turn on one of their games—because they’ve injected hope—is the same reason I’m excited to see where the Cards go under Pat Kelsey’s leadership.” —Taylor Tannebaum, ACC Network
—“I did play-by-play for College of Charleston winning their first ever Charleston Classic last year. I got to spend the week watching him in practice & really liked what I saw. But he hits another gear on gameday. We’re talking Bruce Pearl at Tennessee painting the chest energy. When they won the championship game, he went into the crowd behind the basket to celebrate. I left that night thinking to myself (no disrespect to Charleston) but I can’t wait when he’s able to get a chance at a higher level. Now he has that chance. He will make things exciting from day 1 and bring energy to a program that had lost it. In terms of producing wins, tournament runs, final fours? Give him time.” —Jay Alter, ESPN
—”Love the hire. He’s going to bring a level of energy and enthusiasm that fans are going to eat up. I think you guys saw that in his press conference. He’s got a little bit of Dan Hurley in him in the sense that he will make opposing fans hate him. Whether or not he gets Louisville back to the heights of, say, the 2012 and 2013 seasons is a to be seen, but there is no doubt in my mind he will make it fun to be a Louisville fan again.” —Rob Dauster, Field of 68
—”There’s a lot of worse ways the Louisville coaching search could’ve ended…Even if Pat Kelsey isn’t the splashiest hire, I think he could be the right hire for a perennial top 10 program trying to get back on the right side of history. Anyone who’s won 70 percent of their games deserves their due credit and Pat Kelsey brings that plus the infectious energy I think the Cardinals really need right now. It may not win the press clippings but this is a move back in the right direction.” —Tate Frazier, One Shining Podcast
—“Based on who emerged as realistic candidates for the job, there was going to be risk involved with any hire. Kelsey, given his lack of NCAA tournament success, certainly is not a lock to get this program back to the upper echelon of college basketball. That said, I do think his personality and energy will be welcomed by Cards fans early on, and he’s proven he can recruit at a high level and be creative in how he builds his rosters. Time will tell whether he can lift the program to the heights desired by most around Louisville, but as gambles go, I don’t think this is a bad bet.” —Kevin Sweeney, Sports Illustrated
—“Terrific hire. Kelsey was on the verge of turning Charleston into east coast Gonzaga Lite before taking the Cards gig. Distinct style that’s fun to watch, energetic dude with regional ties who will connect with the fanbase, and has proven that he can find players anywhere (D2, D3, international, etc.). Now give him Louisville resources? Feels like a home run in every sense (other than dominating the initial press release headlines).” —Jim Root, Three Man Weave
—”Louisville wasn’t going to get a bigger name than Pat Kelsey, but I still love the hire. Kelsey’s scheme is ideal for making noise in the tournament, spacing the opponent out at all five spots while pressure the ball at the other end — in attempt to generate extra possessions (when he has the right personnel).” —Eli Hershkovic, The Lines
—“LOVE this hire for Louisville who desperately needs a jolt of energy. Kelsey will provide energy in spades and is a really good X’s and O’s coach. Will be able to recruit too. Really happy that Louisville will be competitive again – NEXT YEAR” —Terrence Oglesby, Field of 68
—“He is 100% basketball coach. He is passionate. Tremendous attention to detail. He has great energy to get the most our of every single player he coaches. He’s got a tall task in front of him, and all the fans are going to be demanding. But he’s going to be more impatient than you are. Trust me.” —Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport
—“Pat is one of the best guys in the game. I’m excited to see his constant energy, strong culture and care for his players shine at the Power 5 level.” —Rico Bosco, Barstool Sports
—”I’ve known Pat since he was a player for Skip Prosser at Xavier. Pat is the most passionate and energetic coach I’ve ever known, and his passion is contagious. He is a relentless worker and competitor, and a servant leader. Pat Kelsey knows how to win, and win the right way. He loves his players unconditionally, yet still holds them to the highest standards of excellence. They respond positively because they see championship behavior modeled every day by Pat, on and off the floor. Louisville has a proud tradition, and I am confident that Pat Kelsey will re-establish Louisville among the nation’s elite.” —Jay Bilas, ESPN
—“Look, the thing that Louisville basketball needs more than anything after the last few years is energy. Josh Heird needed to find a personality that would be vitality and excitement back to the program. At the very least, Pat Kelsey will do that. Look, any time that you hire a mid-major coach to a program like Louisville, you have the general worries about “can he get kids, can he bring in the talent?” That’ll exist until he proves it.
But the system he runs is really fun. They love to get out in transition, and they execute intricate off-ball movement sets well, something that tells you off the rip that Kelsey is a good teacher. Given what the Kenny Payne era was, where the offense looked horrendously bad with no cohesion, that’s an upgrade in and of itself. The process to get to Kelsey didn’t seem to be all that great, but I think there’s a chance he ends up being a strong coach for the Cardinals.” —Sam Vecenie, The Athletic
—”Pat Kelsey will galvanize the fan base. He’s a winner. He knows the area. His passion and energy is infectious. He will dominate, DOMINATE NIL. The program regains its pulse immediately. He is precisely what Louisville needs at this time. A+ decision.” —Jordan Cornette, NBC Sports
