CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WDRB) — Louisville men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year Award, the Naismith Awards announced Friday.
Kelsey has led Louisville to an 18-game improvement after Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinal win boosted the Cardinals’ record to 26-6. He now has exceeded the program’s win totals from the last three seasons combined and matched Denny Crum’s total for most wins ever by a first-year Louisville coach.
Asked about the ACC Coach of the Year honor he received this week following Thursday’s game, Kelsey said he’s not worried about awards.
His Cardinals are still alive in the ACC Tournament as the No. 2 seed after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason and rebuilding the roster from scratch after the departure of Kenny Payne.
The other finalists for the award:
- Dennis Gates, Missouri
- Todd Golden, Florida
- Tom Izzo, Michigan State
- Grant McCasland, Texas Tech
- Ben McCollum, Drake
- Bruce Pearl, Auburn
- Rick Pitino, St. John’s
- Kelvin Sampson, Houston
- Jon Scheyer, Duke
