Pat Kelsey

Title

Head Men's Basketball Coach
Email

kelseyp@winthrop.edu
Phone

6355

Photo Gallery

Pat Kelsey is in his 9^th season as head coach of the Eagle basketball program.

In eight seasons, Kelsey has resurrected the proud basketball tradition at Winthrop with averaging 20.4 wins per season over that span. He’s become one of the winningest coaches in the history of the Big South Conference (ranked 5th all-time). During his eight seasons no other Big South program has more wins overall or more conference wins.

Kelsey guided the Eagles to a Big South Conference title in 2019-20, the second title in the past four seasons for the Eagles. Winthrop defeated Hampton 76-68 in the title game played at the Winthrop Coliseum. The team put together a 14-game winning streak and opened league play with 12 straight wins. The Eagles finished 24-10 as the season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the 2019-20 season Kelsey passed Neild Gordon for the second most wins in program history with 163 (163-93 career mark). He also tied High Point’s Scott Cherry for the 5^th most league wins in Big South history with 93. He also became the second fastest coach in Big South history to 150 wins.

The Eagles opened up the 2019-20 with a tough road trip that started in the northeast with a win and a trip across the country to California. After falling to Fresno State at the buzzer on Nov. 10, the Eagles bounced back the next day with a victory at 18^th-ranked St. Mary’s. It was the programs third win over a nationally-ranked opponent and the first true road win over a ranked team.

Following a four-game losing streak, the Eagles reeled off 14 straight wins. It’s the longest streak under Kelsey and the longest by a Winthrop team since the 2006-07 team won a program record 19 straight. The 24 wins were the second-most during the Kelsey era and are the 4^th most in program history for a single-season.

The Eagles finished the regular season 15-3, finishing in a tie for the regular season championship with Radford. The Eagles were seeded second in the Big South Tournament and opened up tournament play with a 106-70 win over USC Upstate. The 106 points were the most scored by a Winthrop team in a tournament game. In that game the Eagles also set a program record for a conference tournament game in threes made (16). Winthrop advanced to the title game with a 12-point win over Gardner-Webb before defeating the Pirates in the title game for the program’s 12^th Big South Championship.

A key to the success of the 2019-20 team was depth as the Eagles finished second in the country in bench scoring (33.0 per game). There were three players in double-figures and eight total averaging 6.7 ppg or more.

The program made four straight Big South Conference Tournament title games (2014-17) and the Eagles claimed the 2017 Big South Conference Championship. Kelsey guided to the Eagles to one of the most successful seasons in the history of Winthrop basketball. The team claimed a share of the Big South regular season championship and then defeated Campbell to earn Winthrop’s 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Eagles posted a 26-7 mark last season, which was the second straight 20-win season and the third one under Kelsey. In six seasons he held a mark of 121-71 and, became the first coach in Big South Conference history to reach 100 wins in their first five seasons.

Only two teams in the history of the program ever won more than 26 games. In 2015-16, the Eagles won 23 games, which tied for the 4th most in a single-season in the history of the program (now tied for 5^th).

The brand of basketball that Kelsey has instilled in the Eagle program has been an exciting one and produced record breaking teams. This past season the Eagles smashed the program record for three-point field goals made and three-point field goals per game. Winthrop led the nation in three-point field goals (12.4) and finished 5^th in made threes (372). The Eagles broke the school record for threes in a game, hitting 24 in the win over Hiwassee. The 24 threes also tied the Big South Conference mark for a single-game and tied for the 5^th most in NCAA D1 history for a single-game. The 12.40 threes per game is the 5^th best single-season average in D1 history while the 372 made threes rank 20th.

Kelsey led teams have made a habit of breaking program records behind the three-point arc. In 2013-14 the Eagles hit the second most threes in a single-season, but set the record for three-pointers per game (8.4). Then the 2014-15 squad posted the third most threes in a single-season while the 2015-16 Eagles broke the record for the most threes made (285) and three-point field goals per game (8.91). That record stood for only one season as the 2016-17 Eagles destroyed it with 313 in a single-season and 9.48 per game. In the Kelsey era the Eagles have combined for 1,597 triples and an average of 8.32 per game. That also equals out to 266.2 per season.

Over the last five years the Eagles have averaged over 80 points per game and almost 10 threes per game (9.93). The 2016-17 team posted the program’s second-highest season average of 82.2 and was outdone by the 2019-20 team at 82.7.

The Eagles have led the Big South in scoring average five straight years, three-point field goals per game in four straight seasons and scoring margin in three of the last four years. Winthrop has also finished in the Top 33 nationally in threes per game.

Kelsey has a wealth of experience at a high level, first as a player at Xavier University and later as a coach at Wake Forest and again at Xavier.

Kelsey was thrilled and honored when he was hired by Winthrop to lead the men’s basketball program. “Winthrop has a powerful name with its history in the NCAA tournament and the successful program it has built. I am looking forward to continuing the winning tradition and injecting new energy into the respected Winthrop basketball brand.”

Kelsey prides his teams on grit and toughness on the defensive end and an exciting “downhill” style of basketball offensively. During the 2013-2014 season, Winthrop increased its points per game from 60 to 74.4 and also ranked as one of the nation’s Top 25 three-point shooting teams. For the first time in school history, Winthrop had three different players make 50 three-point shots in a season and the team made 10 threes in a game a school-record 11 times. The previous five seasons combined, Winthrop made ten three-point shots on only four total occasions. The 2014-2015 Eagles proved to be an even more dynamic offensive unit, shattering several records. Winthrop achieved its highest national rank in school history in scoring (36th overall) and offensive pace (65.9 possessions per game). Winthrop was also among the nation’s leaders in three-point field goals made (251) and three-point field goals per game (7.8). The Eagles ranked in the top three in the Big South conference in scoring offense, field goal percentage, three point field goal percentage, scoring margin and turnover margin.

Defensively, the 2014-2015 Eagles were the #1 ranked defensive team in the Big South in defensive efficiency (kenpom.com), field goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense. In fact Winthrop ranked in the top two in 5-of-9 defensive categories in Big South Conference play. Freshmen Xavier Cooks and Duby Okeke BOTH shattered the freshman record for blocks in a season with 47 and 46 respectively. Cooks turned in the third most blocks in a single-season at Winthrop while Okeke finished with the fourth most.

Senior Keon Moore was named first team all-conference and became the first player in school history to score 1,000 points in just two seasons. Moore was also among the nation’s leaders in three-point shooting percentage and three-point field goals made. Senior Andre Smith became only the second player in school history with 1,000 points, 300 assists and 200 made threes. Cooks was named to the Big South Conference All-Freshmen team and broke the freshman record for rebounding and blocks. Cooks finished second in the conference in blocks and was only the second freshman in school history to lead the team in rebounding.

In 2015-16 the program achieved several new records and had some of the best individual performances in a game and single-season. Kelsey guided the Eagles offense to a Top 15 ranking nationally with 82.2 ppg (13th as of Mar. 15, 2016), which is the second best average in a single-season in the program’s history. That scoring average led the Big South in scoring, only the third time an Eagle team has done so. The team scored 80 or more points in 18 games, just shy of the program mark of 20 set in 1992-93. The offense was led by Keon Johnson and Jimmy Gavin, who tied for the team’s top scoring average of 18.7. That ties the both of them for the fourth best scoring average in the history of the program. There are now three players in the top six for scoring average all-time at Winthrop as Johnson and Gavin joined Moore (18.5). The Eagles also broke single-season records in three-point field goals made per game (8.9), three-point field goals made (285), total blocks (174), blocks per game (5.44), scoring average in league games only (81.5), most games with 10 or more threes (14), scoring 70 or more points in consecutive games (15) and tied the school mark for 100-point games.

For the second time in three seasons the Eagles won 20 or more games, which is the 10th time a Winthrop team has done so since the program’s move to D1. While there were several records achieved on the offensive end of the court, the Eagles turned in the program’s best season for blocked shots. The 2015-16 team became just the second to lead the Big South in blocks as Okeke and Cooks established themselves as the most dominant shot-blocking duo in the history of Winthrop. Okeke broke the single-season mark of 66, finishing with 72 as he led the league in total blocks and blocks per game. Cooks finished 4th in the Big South in blocks per game and third in total blocks. Okeke eventually became the program’s all-time leader, passing Billy Houston. Cooks passed Okeke in his senior season and finished with 219 (6^th all-time in Big South history). Both Cooks and Okeke helped the 2015-16 team set the program record for blocks in a single-season (174).

In 2017-18 the team ranked 49^th in the country in ppg (79.5), 34^th in field goal percentage, 32^nd in three-point field goals per game and 35^th in blocks per game. Once again the Eagles were the highest scoring offense in the Big South as they also led the league in scoring margin, rebounding offense, blocked shots, defensive rebounds, and three-point field goals per game.

Protecting home court is always key and since Kelsey’s arrival the Eagles have done just that. This past season the team was 11-4 at home and are now 95-24 at the Winthrop Coliseum and have extended the program’s streak of 10 or more home wins to eight straight years. In 2015-16, offensively the Eagles averaged 88.4 ppg at home while shooting 50 percent from the field. That average is also a program record for scoring average at home, breaking the record set in 1992-93 (86.6).

Johnson, Gavin, and Cooks were all three named to the All-Big South Conference Teams in 2015-16. Johnson and Gavin were first team selections while Cooks was named to the second team. It was the first time since 2006-07 that three Eagle players were named to the all-conference teams and just the third time in the program’s history.

Johnson (2016-17) and Cooks (2017-18) were voted Big South Conference Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. They were just the third and fourth Winthrop player in league history to earn Big South Player of the Year honors. Johnson finished his career as the program’s all-time leading scorer while Cooks finished as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds. Cooks also finished his career ranked third all-time in career points by an Eagle. They were both also AP All-America Honorable Mention selections, joining Greg Lewis as the only Winthrop players to earn both All-American and Big South Player of the Year honors.

In his eight seasons the Eagles have had 13 all-conference selections and two voted as the conference Player of the Year, one Big South Freshman of the Year and two Big South Tournament Most Valuable Player selections. The Eagles had only two Player of the Year selections since the league began in 1985-86.

Prior to his arrival at Winthrop, Kelsey was the associate head coach at his alma mater Xavier University, where he spent two seasons.

During his time at Xavier, the team had back-to-back 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2009-10 the Musketeers won 26 games en route to sharing the Atlantic 10 regular season championship and advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as an at-large six-seed. Xavier defeated third-seeded Pittsburgh to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to Kansas State in an epic triple-overtime game. The 26 wins were the fourth most in school history at the time. That season, Kelsey coached Jordan Crawford, who later became the 2010 second round draft choice of the Washington Wizards. In 2010-11 the Musketeers won 24 games and once again earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament as the team was seeded sixth for the second straight season. Xavier captured the Atlantic 10 regular season title. Junior guard Tu Holloway earned Third Team AP All-America honors.

Prior to his arrival at Xavier under head coach Chris Mack, Kelsey spent eight seasons at Wake Forest under the late Skip Prosser and then Dino Gaudio.

During his time in Winston-Salem, Wake averaged nearly 21 wins per year in eight seasons, earning five NCAA Tournament berths, a NIT berth, a No. 1 national ranking in two different seasons and an ACC regular season championship. During his Wake Forest tenure, Kelsey coached current NBA players Chris Paul, Josh Howard, Darius Songaila, James Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu and Ishmael Smith.

Kelsey has played a key role in putting together nationally-ranked recruiting classes at Xavier and before that at Wake Forest. Guard Ishmael Smith was an All-ACC selection and is currently a member of the Phoenix Suns, while forward James Johnson was a two-time All-ACC selection and finished as runner-up for 2008 ACC Rookie of the Year and later was selected 17th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 NBA Draft. Travis McKie and Dez Wells (Maryland transfer) were also All- ACC honorees. Kelsey also recruited five-star prospect Al-Farouq Aminu, who was ranked as the No. 7 recruit nationally and a McDonald’s All-America in 2008. Aminu was an All-ACC selection in 2010 and was selected number eight overall by the L.A. Clippers in the 2010 NBA Draft.

In 2010, College Bound Hoops ranked Kelsey eighth in the nation among college basketball assistants. He also is recognized as an excellent teacher and tactician in terms of player development, scouting and game preparation.

Kelsey began his coaching career at his prep alma mater, Cincinnati’s Elder High School, from 1998-2001 as an assistant coach under former Xavier guard Joe Schoenfeld. Kelsey first came to Wake Forest in 2001 as director of basketball operations and after three years, Prosser promoted Kelsey to assistant coach prior to the 2004-05 season.

Kelsey earned a reputation as an innovative marketer throughout his career. In Winston-Salem, he worked with current Xavier head coach and former Wake assistant Chris Mack and Wake marketing to produce the “Tie-Dye Nation” campaign, which still thrives today as the heartbeat of the Wake Forest fan base. At Winthrop, Kelsey has given birth to “Rock The Hill,” an obvious play on words with Winthrop’s hometown of Rock Hill, SC. The slogan hits at the heart of Kelsey’s vision to grow the brand of the program to one that creates passionate ownership from the community of Rock Hill and most importantly, the Winthrop student body.

The relationship between Kelsey and the Winthrop students is the thing that he is most proud of during his tenure. “They are my crew! I have worked very hard to make sure the student body knows how much they mean to me and what an integral part of our success they are. I love walking campus and getting high fives and fist pounds from them. They have crushed it at our games. The Winthrop Coliseum is not an easy place to play….because of them!”

Kelsey has helped launch a first of its kind freshman “Welcome Week” event called “Rock the Globe” that brings every freshman to the Winthrop Coliseum for a raucous pep rally generating student “buy-in” as well as in-season “Hype Nights” designed for the same reason.

Kelsey was first associated with Prosser as a leader in the Xavier backcourt for three seasons (1996 to 1998), helping the Musketeers reach two NCAA Tournaments. The former point guard served as team co-captain during the 1997-98 season and was voted the team’s Most Inspirational Player in 1996 and 1998.

The playing career of Kelsey began at Wyoming in 1993-94, starting 22 games as a freshman, before transferring back to his hometown to play at Xavier. Prior to college, he earned All-City honors while leading Elder to a 25-4 record and the 1993 Div. I State Championship.

Kelsey, born May 15, 1975, is the son of Mike (former Xavier guard) and Linda Kelsey and is a native of Cincinnati. He graduated cum laude in 1998 from Xavier University with a degree in business administration and marketing. Kelsey and wife, Lisa, have three children: daughters Ruthie and Caroline and son Johnny.

Year	School	Overall	Pct.	Big South	Pct.	Season Highlights
2020-21	Winthrop	23-1	.958	17-1	.944	Big South Regular Season Champions / Big South Conference Tournament Champions / AP-Coaches Poll Votes & high as #2 in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 / NCAA Tournament (12 seed)
2019-20	Winthrop	24-10	.706	15-3	.833	Big South Regular Season Co-Champions (#2 seed) / Big South Conference Champs / Win at #18 St. Mary's / #23 - CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25
2018-19	Winthrop	18-12	.600	10-6	.625	Led NCAA D1 in threes per game (12.4 - School Record)
2017-18	Winthrop	19-12	.613	12-6	.667	Big South Regular Season - T2nd
2016-17	Winthrop	26-7	.788	15-3	.833	Big South Regular Season Co-Champions (#1 seed) / Big South Tournament Champions / NCAA Tournament (13 seed)
2015-16	Winthrop	23-9	.719	13-5	.722	Big South Regular Season Co-Champions (#2 seed) / Big South Conference Tournament Appearance
2014-15	Winthrop	19-13	.594	12-6	.667	Big South Regular Season - T3rd / Big South Conference Tournament Final Appearance / 77-74 win at Clemson
2013-14	Winthrop	20-13	.606	10-6	.625	Big South Regular Season - T2nd (South Division) - Big South Conference Tournament Final Appearance
2012-13	Winthrop	14-17	.452	6-10	.375	74-67 win at Auburn
9 Years		186-94	.664	110-46	.705	Three-Time Big South Conference Champions / Four-Time Big South Regular Season Champions

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Pat Kelsey