Vanderbilt Basketball: 12 candidates to replace Jerry Stackhouse as Head Coach

Pat Kelsey

Head coaching hires are among the most important decisions a basketball program makes, so nailing it this time would be very important for the Commodores. It’s not just about finding a good recruiter, but someone who can inspire the program and get the most out of his players on the court. Suffice to say we’ve seen enough to know Kelsey is one of those guys and he continues to show it on a yearly basis.

Back in the 90’s, Kelsey was a point guard for Skip Prosser at Xavier and would later coach under him at Wake Forest. After a brief return to his alma mater, Kelsey started his head coaching journey at Winthrop, with solid success in the Big South. After a pair of league titles in his last two seasons, Kelsey bolted for Charleston in 2021 and has been even better. The Cougars won 31 games last year and will be in the NCAA Tournament this season for a second straight trip.

Kelsey is one of the hottest up and coming coaches in the nation and the biggest question is where exactly he wants to be. Would he wait for Wake Forest or Xavier to open one day? Is he gunning for a different specific power conference gig? Vanderbilt has a lot to offer him in the SEC and the Commodores would be brilliant to make this move. It all comes down to Kelsey’s interest and how he’d handle life in Nashville.