By RUSS BROWN • Photos By Matt Johnson
Pat Kelsey is only 11 games into his first season as Louisville’s basketball coach, but he has already shown he was the right choice to lead the Cardinals’ program out of the wilderness and, eventually, into the promised land once again.
Want the latest and most convincing proof? Here it is: No. 5 Kentucky 93, U of L 85.
True, the Wildcats prevailed in the Battle of the Bluegrass for the sixth time in the last seven meetings and the 14th time in the last 17. But this was different, especially compared to the last two when Kenny Payne’s team was outscored by an average of 21 points and was never a threat.
Undermanned and playing against a team with superior talent in one of the most hostile environments in college basketball, the Cards put up a gallant fight. They took UK’s best punch -- a red-hot shooting seminar at the outset that produced a 14-point lead -- and never blinked. Time and again they fought back from the brink to keep the pressure on their hosts.
This is telling: UK went up anywhere from 7-12 points on 10 different occasions after the early blitz. But after a timeout, or whenever the lead got pushed to that margin, Louisville outscored the Cats 49-8 on the following possessions. That’s excellent coaching. U of L cut its deficit to three points twice in the second half and with under two minutes remaining was well within striking distance at 79-74.
UK coach Mark Pope was impressed.
“Louisville, hats off to them,” he said. “I mean those guys are playing so hard right now and doing it shorthanded. Pat is doing an unbelievable job coaching that group and they got a ton of fight and a ton of heart and leadership, and they had guys making big plays and making shots, and they should be super proud.” (“Mark Pope full postgame comments after Louisville win”)
Even before the UK game, however, Kelsey had given U of L’s fans starved for a return to the glory days of Denny Crum and Rick Pitino reason for hope and optimism. And he has done it under adverse circumstances.
Using the transfer portal, Kelsey built an all-new roster and has brought energy, passion and enthusiasm to a program that had hit rock-bottom prior to his arrival. Now the Cards are playing with a cohesion and toughness that had been sorely lacking.
ESPN college basketball commentator Seth Greenberg said Kelsey is the perfect hire to put the pieces back together again, “to utilize the resources Louisville has, to bring an energy, utilize the resources Louisville has, and an ownership and enthusiasm and positive spin on almost anything and everything, and to be accessible.”
Morehead State coach Jonathan Mattox was in awe of what Kelsey had already done with the Cards after they beat the Eagles 93-45 in their opener.
“He has reenergized this fan base at a high, high level, very excited,” Mattox said. “He’s a good coach. He’s got a great track record and he’s going to do a really, really good job at the University of Louisville.” (“Louisville basketball vs Morehead State: Future with Pat Kelsey bright”)
And just think what he could do with a full roster.
Due to injuries, U of L is down to eight healthy scholarship players and what essentially is a seven-man rotation because the eighth player off the bench averages only four minutes a game, often playing less than that.
Within 48 hours in late November, Kelsey lost his second-best player, 6-foot-10 forward/center Kasean Pryor (12.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game), along with backup point guard Koren Johnson. Pryor, the team’s best interior defender, suffered a torn ACL against Oklahoma in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis and is out for the season. Johnson played in just two games before a shoulder injury sidelined him. He too underwent surgery and won’t return this season.
Before those two were lost, versatile 6-5 forward Aboubacar Traore suffered a broken arm in practice after the third game. He is expected back for either the Dec. 28 game against Eastern Kentucky or Jan. 1 for North Carolina, both in the KFC Yum! Center.
U of L’s fearless performance at Kentucky wasn’t the first indication of its about-face from recent seasons by any means. All of the Cards’ losses have been to ranked teams, with just two by double digits. And they gained respect in the Bahamas by routing then-No. 14 Indiana 89-61 and upsetting West Virginia 79-70 in overtime before falling to now No. 13 Oklahoma 69-64.
“We’re making adjustments on the fly, trying to figure out a new identity,” Kelsey said. “It changes because of the depth piece and guys moving into new and expanded roles and things like that. (“Pat Kelsey brought energy back to U of L basketball. Can the Cards be ...”) It’s been interesting trying to figure some stuff out.
“I’ve been pretty clear on the makeup and the fabric of our guys. You know, they say the game doesn’t build character, it reveals character, and our guys continue to show character by fighting through some of this adversity. (“Kentucky-Louisville Postgame Quotes - UK Athletics”) You talk about how many minutes our guys have to play and the standard of their hustle and their grit and their tenacity. I’m proud of ‘em.
“We’ll have Traore back soon, hopefully right after Christmas, and that will be a big boost from a depth standpoint and he’s a very versatile player. We need him. (“Kentucky-Louisville Postgame Quotes - UK Athletics”) So, we’re looking forward to that, having an extra body, and it will help us move forward.”
The schedule also eases when Louisville gets into its ACC schedule full swing. There is only one ranked team among the remaining 20 opponents, No. 16 Clemson, and the Cards get the Tigers at home.
“It hurts not having those injured guys on the floor with us,” point guard Chucky Hepburn said. “But we’re going to do whatever it takes to win games. We’re all winners, we all come from different places, and we’ve won a lot of games. We’re going to dig deep, we’re going to trust our coach’s system and we’re going to be able to find ways to win games.” (“What Pat Kelsey, Chucky Hepburn Said After Louisville MBB’s 77-74 Win ...”)
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