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BUFFALO, NY — To lift Louisville basketball back to the level of competing for national championships, second-year coach Pat Kelsey will have to win games like Saturday’s, with elevated stakes like advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
He’ll have to do it against perennial powerhouse programs like Michigan State.
And he’ll have to beat coaches like the Spartans’ Hall of Famer Tom Izzo.
It’s the next big step for Kelsey and the Cardinals’ program to take. It’s the most difficult one. And one that UofL's 77-69 loss to the Spartans showed it's not quite ready to make.
But it’s also the one that will have the biggest impact in thrusting the program forward.
Kelsey led the "ReviVille" last season just to get the program back to competing at a high level after it won only 12 games during former coach Kenny Payne’s two seasons.
Had they beaten Michigan State, Kelsey could have laid claim to the "ArriVille" despite whatever disappointments the season may have had from the will he or won’t he play back injury saga of Mikel Brown Jr.
Kelsey doesn’t look at it that way.
He never has in coaching stints at Winthrop and College of Charleston, where winning one game was looked at as some kind of signal that he’d made it. On Friday, Kelsey said even if the Cards won, he wouldn't view it like he's arrived.
"It's not the accomplishment, it's not the destination, man — it's the journey," Kelsey said. "That's what fires me up."
Whether Kelsey has arrived as a coach, is up for debate.
What is undeniable is that Kelsey needs a win to change the perception of what he’s capable of doing at UofL. Because this was the kind of win, with those kind of stakes, against that kind of opponent, that has, for the most part, eluded Kelsey so far in his tenure.
Kelsey has been a bit unlucky in that regard.
An early-season win over rival Kentucky was supposed to be one way to solidify him, but when the Wildcats fell from the top 10 to not receiving votes at all, it took all the shine off that victory.
A lot of times over the past 25 years, wins over Cincinnati, Memphis and Indiana would also serve to certify a coach, but not this season. None of those teams even made the NCAA Tournament.
UofL’s regular-season schedule was littered with losses in marquee matchups to some of the nation's best programs and some of the most venerable coaches. The Cards had yet another year of getting swept by Duke to go with a second straight loss to Tennessee and coach Rick Barnes. A non-competitive game at Arkansas and another loss to coach John Calipari, followed later with a loss at North Carolina.
Those losses were enough to humble any coach. But even if UofL won all those games, Kelsey would still feel like he had more to prove. Having a constant chip on his shoulder is what he believes makes him good.
“I like to think if we're lucky enough to raise a banner, win a national championship at Louisville, I'll still have that same chip on my shoulder,” Kelsey said.
Losing to Izzo and Michigan State ensured that chip shall remain.
For now.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball March Madness Sweet 16 next step for Pat Kelsey
Continue reading...
He’ll have to do it against perennial powerhouse programs like Michigan State.
And he’ll have to beat coaches like the Spartans’ Hall of Famer Tom Izzo.
It’s the next big step for Kelsey and the Cardinals’ program to take. It’s the most difficult one. And one that UofL's 77-69 loss to the Spartans showed it's not quite ready to make.
But it’s also the one that will have the biggest impact in thrusting the program forward.
Kelsey led the "ReviVille" last season just to get the program back to competing at a high level after it won only 12 games during former coach Kenny Payne’s two seasons.
Had they beaten Michigan State, Kelsey could have laid claim to the "ArriVille" despite whatever disappointments the season may have had from the will he or won’t he play back injury saga of Mikel Brown Jr.
Kelsey doesn’t look at it that way.
He never has in coaching stints at Winthrop and College of Charleston, where winning one game was looked at as some kind of signal that he’d made it. On Friday, Kelsey said even if the Cards won, he wouldn't view it like he's arrived.
"It's not the accomplishment, it's not the destination, man — it's the journey," Kelsey said. "That's what fires me up."
Whether Kelsey has arrived as a coach, is up for debate.
What is undeniable is that Kelsey needs a win to change the perception of what he’s capable of doing at UofL. Because this was the kind of win, with those kind of stakes, against that kind of opponent, that has, for the most part, eluded Kelsey so far in his tenure.
Kelsey has been a bit unlucky in that regard.
An early-season win over rival Kentucky was supposed to be one way to solidify him, but when the Wildcats fell from the top 10 to not receiving votes at all, it took all the shine off that victory.
A lot of times over the past 25 years, wins over Cincinnati, Memphis and Indiana would also serve to certify a coach, but not this season. None of those teams even made the NCAA Tournament.
UofL’s regular-season schedule was littered with losses in marquee matchups to some of the nation's best programs and some of the most venerable coaches. The Cards had yet another year of getting swept by Duke to go with a second straight loss to Tennessee and coach Rick Barnes. A non-competitive game at Arkansas and another loss to coach John Calipari, followed later with a loss at North Carolina.
Those losses were enough to humble any coach. But even if UofL won all those games, Kelsey would still feel like he had more to prove. Having a constant chip on his shoulder is what he believes makes him good.
“I like to think if we're lucky enough to raise a banner, win a national championship at Louisville, I'll still have that same chip on my shoulder,” Kelsey said.
Losing to Izzo and Michigan State ensured that chip shall remain.
For now.
This column will be updated.
Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at [email protected], follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball March Madness Sweet 16 next step for Pat Kelsey
Continue reading...
