UMass to hire Winthrop's Pat Kelsey as head coach
University of Massachusetts will hire Winthrop’s Pat Kelsey as its next basketball head coach, according a source with direct knowledge of the hire.
Kelsey went 102–59 over five seasons at Winthrop. He reached the NCAA tournament this year and won two Big South regular season titles.
Kelsey, 41, replaces Derek Kellogg, a former Minuteman point guard who went 155–137 in nine seasons as head coach. He reached one NCAA tournament in that span and finished this season 15–18 and 4–14 in league play. UMass dismissed him immediately after the season ended.
UMass officials value the energy and passion Kelsey will bring to the program, which has a new practice facility that cost nearly $20 million to build. Before reaching the NCAA tournament this year, Kelsey may have been known best for the passionate speech he gave in the wake of the shootings in Newtown, Conn., after a game at Ohio State in December 2012.
Prior to Winthrop, Kelsey served for two seasons as the associate head coach at Xavier, which gives him significant experience in the Atlantic 10. Before his time at Xavier, he was an assistant at Wake Forest under Skip Prosser for eight seasons.
Other candidates for the UMass job included Miami associate head coach Chris Caputo, Celtics assistant Micah Shrewsberry and Vermont coach John Becker.
