Pat Kelsey named head coach, signs 5-year deal with UofL men's basketball

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It's official. Pat Kelsey is the 24th head coach of the University of Louisville men's basketball team. He signed a contract for five years at $2.3 million a year, and that will take him through the 2028-29 season. The UofL Athletic Association Board of Directors approved the terms of his contract Thursday afternoon. He arrived in Louisville just hours before the meeting by plane. Watch below: President Kim Schatzel called him "the absolute right coach" at the start of his Thursday introduction.Director of Athletics Josh Heird said he's proven his ability."He garners great respect as a coach, manager, communicator and motivator who will build strong bonds with his student-athletes, coaches and our fan base. Pat understands the expectations of this storied program and will attack this opportunity with unmatched enthusiasm and work ethic," Heird said.Kelsey will be tasked with pumping up a disappointed fan base and getting Louisville back on the upswing. "There's high expectations and I'm excited to get started," he said.Kenny Payne, who was fired two weeks ago, described the program as broken. When asked where the program stands as Kelsey takes over, he said, "Ready, ready to rock. Let's go."More about KelseyKelsey, 48, is a Cincinnati native. He spent the last three seasons leading the College of Charleston Cougars, winning 75 games during that tenure and making it to the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons.Overall, he won nearly 70% of the games in his career. He also spent nine seasons as the head coach at Winthrop, going 23-2 in his final year there.Before that, he was an associate head coach at Xavier, where he played himself, and worked under former UofL head coach Chris Mack.Kelsey and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Ruthie, Caroline and Johnny.He says he comes from a big family. The day he officially took the job, he ran into one of his "52 first cousins." The last reignKelsey replaces Payne, who was fired on March 13, just a day after Louisville's season ended in the first round of the ACC Tournament to NC State.Under Payne's leadership, UofL cobbled together a 12-52 record across two seasons.A closer look at the dealEach year, Kelsey will make $2.3 million a year, a million less than Kenny Payne was making.He can get several one-time bonuses, like $50,000 if he takes the team to the NCAA tournament and $500,000 if they win it all.Click here to see his full term sheet.