Fans react to Pat Kelsey being hired as UofL head coach for men’s basketball
Fans are looking for some wins after the the Cardinals went 12-52 over the past two seasons. And once new UofL men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey finished speaking Thursday, one fan told WAVE news, he had won over the room. Fans have reacted positively to Pat Kelsey's appointment as head coach for the University of Louisville's men's basketball team, following a disappointing 12-52 record over the past two seasons. Fans are eager for wins for the Cardinals, who went under the previous coach, Denny Crum, and are hopeful that Kelsey will revitalize the team and the fan base. Robert Holmes III, a season ticket holder, expressed a desire for a new coach who takes the rivalry against the University Kentucky very seriously. Holmes also expressed hope for a healing effort from the team, but remained cautious about the results of the hire. Some fans are optimistic about Kelsey, while others are taking a wait-and-see approach.
Published : 4 weeks ago by David Ochoa in Sports
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Fans are looking for some wins after the Cardinals went 12-52 over the past two seasons.
Once new UofL men’s basketball coach Pat Kelsey finished speaking Thursday, one fan told WAVE news, he had won over the room.
Now the question is if he can bring that winning to the Yum Center.
Before Kelsey took the stage to speak to fans and answer questions, we talked to fans like season ticket holder Robert Holmes III about what they want to see from the new coach.
“We need someone who takes this rivalry against the University of Kentucky very seriously,” Holmes said. “We need to beat UK. That’s job one.”
However, Holmes also hopes he can heal the team and the fan base.
So what did he think after hearing Kelsey talk?
“That was one of the requirements that Josh had originally was someone who was going to crawl to this job and run to this job, and I think we’ve got a guy who is running to this job,” he said after the press conference. “He’s excited.”
Holmes like many fans, is also excited.
Other fans, like Mickey Thomson, are optimistic but are taking a wait-and-see approach.
“I was excited whenever they hired Kenny,” Thomson said. “So I’m kind of waiting to see the results of how he does before I jump on board.”
UofL’s recent struggles have many fans feeling the same way.
They hope Kelsey re-energizes the fan base and gets them back to their former glory such as when Denny Crum was standing on the sideline.
A part of Crum’s legacy was in the audience as Kelsey spoke.
“I do think he brings a certain excitement that I hope fans will appreciate and that people who have been upset with acknowledge or appreciate,” Denny’s wife, Susan Sweeney Crum said.
Crum knows all about what it takes to be a champion at UofL. She thinks Kelsey’s positivity and energy will reach the fans.
“Probably as people see more of him, they will probably see the same thing people here today saw,” Sweeney Crum said.
What exactly did people see?
“Everyone was hanging on every word he said,” Thomson said.
There were a lot of smiles at the press conference earlier, and a lot of people are ready to get back in the Yum Center and start winning again.
Topics: Basketball