NCAA Basketball: Top 15 head coaches on the rise entering 2023-24 season
1. Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston
How could I not include Kelsey? Hailing from the Skip Prosser/Chris Mack coaching tree, Pat Kelsey simply wins. It’s in his DNA. While coaching Winthrop, the high-energy coach made two NCAA Tournament appearances and averaged over 20 wins per season in his nine-year tenure in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
In 2021, Kelsey would end up taking the job at Charleston, posting a 31-win season just last year where the Cougars climbed as high as 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 in mid/late January. According to Sports Reference, Kelsey has accumulated a 234-114 overall record — marking a .672 overall win percentage in his eleven years being a head coach.
Kelsey brings a level of uniqueness to the coaching industry — where he can energize a fanbase and get involved in the community and university. Take a look at this tweet from Kelsey:
Me to the student at the end of the video: “You coming to the game?”
— Pat Kelsey (@patkelsey) February 22, 2023
Answer: “You already know, Coach!”
Yes I do. See y’all there.
Our City. pic.twitter.com/9YDoghAesY
How does that not make a fanbase excited?
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Despite zero NCAA Tournament wins, it is only a matter of time before Kelsey will break through and take either the Cougars or another power-five program on a deep NCAA Tournament run shortly. He recently signed a five-year contract extension to stay with the Cougars, but he will still gather many looks from AD’s across the country.