In the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) of NCAA Division I, the University of Louisville is represented by the Louisville Cardinals. The Cardinals have made 39 official NCAA tournament appearances, out of which they have officially won two NCAA titles in 1980 and 1986 (2013 vacated), and they have officially had eight Final Four appearances.
The appearances or victories made during 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 have been vacated by the Cardinals, ordered by the NCAA, due to a controversial scandal involving former Director of Basketball Operations Andre McGee and escort Katina Powell’s book “Breaking Cardinal Rules.”
With 42 NCAA tournament appearances, Louisville has also made 15 NIT appearances. They have had 21 Sweet-16 appearances overall, ranking fifth behind North Carolina (26), Kentucky (25), Duke (24), and Kansas (22) since the NCAA started keeping track of these records in 1975. With a 75-41 overall NCAA Tournament record and 10 Final Four appearances, Louisville is ranked sixth in tournament victories.
Louisville Men’s Basketball Head Coach 2024
Born on May 15, 1975, Pat Kelsey is the new head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville. He spent the last three seasons as the head coach at the College of Charleston and claimed Colonial Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2023 and 2024.
Payne began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Elder High School before transitioning to collegiate ranks as an assistant for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2004. From 2009 to 2011, he was an assistant coach at Xavier, followed by a nine-year head coaching stint at Winthrop.
The University of Louisville announced Kelsey as their new head men's basketball coach on March 28, 2024. A dominant winner across his 12 seasons as head coach, Kelsey will be the 23rd head coach in Louisville's storied history.
Pat Kelsey’s Physical Attributes
| Age | 49 years old, as of November 2024 |
| Height | 6 feet 1 inches (185 cm) |
| Weight | N/A |
Pat Kelsey’s Age
Pat Kelsey is 49 years old, as of November 2024. He was born on May 15, 1975, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Pat Kelsey’s Height
Pat Kelsey stands 6 feet 1 inches, or 185 cm tall.
Louisville Basketball Head Coach, year-by-year
The head coaches of Louisville basketball are as follows, year by year:
| No. | Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
| 1 | 1911–1912 | William Gardiner | 1 | 0–3 | .000 |
| – | 1912–1915 | No coach | 3 | 8–14 | .364 |
| 2 | 1915–1918 | Ed Bowman | 3 | 11–7 | .611 |
| 3 | 1918–1919 | Earl Ford | 1 | 7–4 | .636 |
| 4 | 1919–1920 | Tuley Brucker | 1 | 6–5 | .545 |
| 5 | 1920–1921 | Jimmie Powers | 1 | 3–8 | .273 |
| 6 | 1921–1922 | John O'Rourke | 1 | 1–13 | .071 |
| 7 | 1923–1925 | Fred Enke | 2 | 14–20 | .412 |
| 8 | 1925–1930 | Tom King | 5 | 44–31 | .587 |
| 9 | 1930–1932 | Edward Weber | 2 | 20–18 | .526 |
| 10 | 1932–1936 | C. V. Money | 4 | 46–40 | .535 |
| 11 | 1936–1940 | Laurie Apitz | 4 | 10–52 | .161 |
| 12 | 1940–1942 | John Heldman | 2 | 9–24 | .273 |
| 13 | 1943–1944 | Harold Church and Walter Casey | 1 | 10–10 | .500 |
| 14 | 1944–1967 | Bernard Hickman | 23 | 443–183 | .708 |
| 15 | 1967–1971 | John Dromo | 4 | 68–23 | .747 |
| 16 | 1971* | Howard Stacey | 1 | 12–8 | .600 |
| 17 | 1971–2001 | Denny Crum | 30 | 675–295 | .696 |
| 18 | 2001–2017 | Rick Pitino | 16 | 293–140 | .677 |
| 19 | 2017–2018* | David Padgett | 1 | 22–14 | .611 |
| 20 | 2018–2022 | Chris Mack | 4 | 63–36 | .636 |
| 21 | 2021–2022* | Mike Pegues | 1 | 7–11 | .389 |
| 22 | 2022–2024 | Kenny Payne | 1 | 12–52 | .188 |
| 23 | 2024–present | Pat Kelsey | 1 | 1-1 | .500 |
Louisville Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff 2024
The Louisville Cardinals basketball team's coaching staff is listed below, as of November 2024:
| Name | Title |
| Pat Kelsey | Head Coach |
| Brian Kloman | Assistant Coach |
| Ronnie Hamilton | Assistant Coach |
| Thomas Carr | Assistant Coach |
| Mike Cassidy | Assistant Coach |
Assistant Coaches
Under head coach Pat Kelsey, Brian Kloman spent the last 10 years working under Kelsey and now enters his first season at the University of Louisville as an assistant coach. Kloman spent seven years at Winthrop and three years at Charleston.
Ronnie Hamilton joined the Cardinals as an assistant coach in the summer after serving the last two seasons at LSU as an assistant coach under coach, Matt McMahon. He is also known for his recruiting prowess and player development.
In April 2024, Thomas Carr joined Pat Kelsey's coaching staff at Louisville. He worked as an assistant coach at the College of Charleston for two seasons under Kelsey. Mike Cassidy enters his fourth season as a coaching staff under Pat Kelsey who has spent the last three years at Charleston. He was also an assistant coach for the U19 Australian National Team at the U19 FIBA World Cup.
Louisville Men's Basketball Support Staff 2024
The Louisville Cardinals basketball team's support staff is listed below, as of November 2024:
| Name | Title |
| Jermaine Ukaegbu | Director of Player Personnel |
| Eli Foy | Head Strength and Conditioning Coach/Chief of Staff |
| Mitch Johnson | Director of Basketball Operations |
| Peyton Siva | Director of Player Development |
| Braden Connor | Special Assistant to the Head Coach |
| Tom Pupavac | Creative Director |
| Jonah Wexler | Director of Video and Analytics |
| Katie Creznic | Associate Athletic Trainer |
| Stephanie Davis | Executive Assistant |
| Tiffany White | Associate Director of Sports Nutrition |
| Charlie Champagne | Graduate Manager |
| Jacob Monesson | Graduate Manager |
| Logan Padgett | Graduate Manager |
| Kyle Zunic | Graduate Manager |
FAQ's On Louisville basketball coach
A. Louisville officially won two NCAA titles in 1980 and 1986 (2013 vacated).
A. Pat Kelsey is the head coach of Louisville men's basketball in 2024.
A. Pat Kelsey is expected to draw an annual salary of $2.3 million.
A. Louisville officially has eight Final Four appearances in its basketball history.
A. The Louisville men's basketball coaching staff includes four assistant coaches: Brian Kloman, Ronnie Hamilton, Thomas Carr and Mike Cassidy.
