Faith, Family, & Motivating His Players Are Instrumental In His Continued Success & Game Plan

Jeff Walker, Entertainment & Sports Writer

Growing up in Cincinnati Ohio, College of Charleston's head men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey was inspired by three things. Faith, family, and sports. He admits the first two were set in stone and the third came naturally.  

"Faith in God and having a strong family are everything to me, and everything you need. Having a love of sports is just an added bonus." Coach Kelsey comes from a large family. "I have five siblings. There are 23 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Honestly I come from the best family ever. Growing up we were always there for each other. My parents taught us well." Kelsey and his wife, Lisa, have three children Ruthie, Caroline and Johnny.

Long before Kelsey made a name for himself his father was branding the name back in Cincinnati. "My dad has been in the car business 54 years. He owns Kelsey Chevrolet. From our family to yours. He's owned it outright since 2015. He started out as a lot tech, washing cars and graduated from high school, went to Xavier where I went. Played and met my mom in his sophomore year."

He adds, "They got married. He stopped playing basketball and just finished school before starting a family. He actually taught for a year before being back at the dealership. In the car business he's done it all." It's his parents and siblings that have provided Coach Kelsey with his firm foundation. "No doubt."

Although he spent his first year at the University of Wyoming, Coach Kelsey returned to his hometown to play three years as a point guard for the Musketeers of Xavier University. He would later return to Xavier as an assistant coach (2009-12) having spent eight years prior (2001-09) as an assistant and Director of Operations at Wake Forest under Dino Gaudio and the late legendary Coach Skip Prosser.

Xavier and Wake Forest may be where Coach Kelsey got a basketball education, but it was Winthrop where he began to shine as a head ball coach. A business and marketing major Coach Kelsey remembers how he got the position.

"When I went for the job at Winthrop, part of my interview process was selling them on my marketing mission, my theme. So I'm in Rock Hill and I said what do we want to accomplish. What do we want to bring excitement and passion to the school and to the program. So I said 'let's rock the hill'."

Coach Kelsey said he wanted to identify with the school right away. "I wanted my own 'roll tide' When Nick Saban walks down the street they yell out 'coach, roll tide'. So now everywhere around Rock Hill you'll see 'rock the hill'. When I see people, maybe in an airport and they know me from Winthrop they say 'coach, rock the hill'. That gives me a sense of pride."

He gives credit to two men for helping him achieve his first head coaching gig. "I worked for a guy named Skip Prosser. He was one of the best marketing coaches over the past 50 years. I might be biased because I worked under him. But he was a marketing genius, and I'm a marketing major. My dad is a businessman. I learned a lot from my dad, but being around Coach Prosser I got an education. Watching how he marketed and sold, and won the minds of the community."

Not only did he unify Rock Hill and Winthrop, Coach Kelsey was a winner, becoming the fifth all-time winningest coach in the history of the Big South Conference, earning 2021 Big South Conference Coach of the Year, guiding the team to a 23-2 record that season and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third time. "I had a good run at Winthrop. But I had really good players, and really good assistant coaches. No one does it all on their own."

That winning spirit and unbridled enthusiasm caught the eye of College of Charleston Athletic Director Matt Roberts back in 2021 when Earl Grant left the program and CofC was in need of a new coach. Coach Kelsey says there was an instant connection.

"So the same thing happened here (at CofC) that did at Winthrop. When I go in front of Matt. Sure I can sell him on X's and O's and my record. However, he already knows that. But I love to sell and I love to market. So I have two days to prepare and I wanted to make an impression."

Even more bizarre than the short preparation time was the meeting itself. "So Matt comes to my house, which is really cool. I've interviewed maybe 15 times over the years and Matt is the first to ever come to me. I go Matt, 'when do you want me to be down there?'. Coach Kelsey adds, "Matt says no, I'm coming to you. He drove up to my house, sat in my living room, and after that he tells the story he called his wife and said I think I just met our new basketball coach."

However, Roberts wasn't the deciding factor. "Of course I had to interview with the committee. So I go down two days later and meet with them. I'm in front of the President Hsu and I'm like you have this incredible city to sell. So just like when I was up in Rock Hill, I'm like lets sell the city. Let's get everyone who didn't go to school or who maybe works in the city to buy in. So I said 'how do we say that, simply 'Our City'.  So I had this whole slogan, logo and banners in mind 'Our City'.

Heading into his third season with the Cougars Coach Kelsey is still on the same mission. "I want to brand 'Our City'. So I walk around the campus and I'll hand our tee shirts with 'Our City'. I don't want to pat myself on the back, but I love our motto."

Although Coach Kelsey had a winning season (17-15) his first year with CofC, it was his second season (2022-23) that brought excitement to the college, the players, the fans, and the city. His team went 31-4, had a 20 game win streak, won the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) Championship before their epic run was ended abruptly to San Diego State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"Everybody's season ends abruptly except for one team. There's 354, maybe 355 Division 1 teams out there, and all but one's season ends abruptly. I coached a great bunch of kids last season. There's not one minute I'm not thankful to have coached that team. Every second of every day we spent together was special to me."

Would Coach Kelsey wish last season ended any different. "There's no part of last year I would change. Do I wish a couple of their shots didn't go in. Yeah! Do I wish a couple of our shots landed. Of course. Was there a bad call (foul) late in the game. The announcers with CBS thought so."

Ever humble he gives credit where credit is due. "They were a little better than us by a couple of points. But San Diego State is a really good team. A year ago they were up by 10 points in the first round of the tournament with a few minutes left and blew it." San Diego State would go on to make the final four losing to UConn in the national championship final. "They played really well the entire tournament, so I give them credit for getting to the championship game."

Despite a few bumps in the road last year Coach Kelsey says one of his mentors prepared him the journey. "Coach Prosser used to say, 'the season is a lifetime'. Babies are born, people die. I didn't realize early on but I've come to understand it. It's a lifetime. It has its ups and downs. Even when adversity hits and you lose two games in a row. That game against Hofstra at home and Drexel on the road. You feel like you got punched in the gut. It's hard to go to sleep that first night but you get through it and move on."

Still, Coach Kelsey admits he had an awesome team last year. "What a special year that was. I'll look back on it with fond memories. I had great players. Ryan Larson, Jaylen Scott, Pat Robinson, and Dalton Bolon. That was a great group of guys, but what's fun about this group (this season) is they are high character kids. They're fun to be around. Each team is different."

How so? "The X's and O's are different. Their mindset is different. The way they are wired. It's like Forest Gump said 'Life is like a box of chocolates. Each year in coaching you never know what you're going to get."

Coach Kelsey admits he welcomes challenge. "One of the cool things about what I do is 'how do I fix it'. What's broken with the team. What buttons do we need to push. Adjustments. Getting our minds right. Can we rise to the next challenge. The next 40 minute test. Those are just a few of the reasons I love being a coach and surrounding myself with players and fellow coaches who buy into that."

Although he has returning players, the makeup of the team changes year to year. "What I love about being a coach, is that every team is different, as is every season. Even more, every journey your team is on is unique. That's what's special about coaching. I've been in this business 21 years, God willing I'll have another 21 years. But what I love about it are the challenges. The adversity. The journey. The triumphs."

The college athletic portal (transfers) has had as much to do with the success of CofC as do the coaching staff. Coach Kelsey embraces change. "The portal is what it is. It changed the game a few years ago. It's not going backwards. There's no sense saying woe is me. We except it and use it to the best of our ability."

Coach Kelsey has no misgivings about the portal, rather accepting it as part of college sports. "I don't know if the portal has made it better or worse, but it's different. Change happens in every single industry, so why should sports be any different. If you decide to take a graduate transfer than yes. I'll take a guy like John Meeks everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. I would do the same for Dimitrius Underwood and Dalton Bolon."

Regarding the portal and the upcoming season. "It's been good for us. This year I get to coach Frankie Policelli and Bryce Butler for one year." Both are graduate student transfers with one year of eligibility. "They are phenomenal players and bring a lot to the team."

How does Coach Kelsey attract quality players short term. "I think we, myself and my staff are really good at conveying, portraying, and selling our culture with the hearts and minds of our players and are fortunate to get those players for a year. Letting them know they'll be part of one big moment, and could make a positive difference in their lives and the life of their team mates."

He adds, "I like the challenge of change. How do we adjust. The schools and programs that adjust the best are more likely the ones that succeed. Every team, every year wants to be successful."

Coach Kelsey carries the same conviction for his support of the NIL (name, image, and likeness) which pays college athletes to compete. "My question is 'what's wrong with that'. Look at the Olympics 20 years ago, and look at it today. It still thrives. The TV networks still pay billions of dollars to broadcast the Olympics. Why shouldn't the athletes benefit from their name, image, and likeness."

He doesn't feel college sports are impacted adversely due to NIL. "I don't think the innocence of collegiate sports is impacted in a major way just because the kids are being compensated. College sports are a major, major, major business. We're talking billions of dollars. Look at championship college football and NCAA basketball. I feel when that kind of money is generated, there's no reason players and student athletes that make the product shouldn't share in the proceeds."

NIL aside Coach Kelsey focuses on his role when it comes to the players. "My job as a coach doesn't change, that of being a teacher and a mentor because these young kids, really young men are in the formative years of their lives. They're 18, 19, and 20 years old, so hopefully I can have an impact on their lives. Hopefully, more than a professional coach can because those guys are in the mid to late 20's and older. By then they have families and other obligations. They're at a different stage in their life."

Coach adds, "We can talk about the portal and NIL but the reason my job is really cool, and the reason I'm passionate about coaching is when these players come back and give me a hug and say I love you, and maybe ask my advice, I still think we can teach life lessons. That's what a coach is there to do, to teach life lessons. I'm as passionate about helping my players reach their potential on and off the court."

With the 2023-24 season about to kick off Coach Kelsey realizes he has a different team than last year. "You have to tweak, make some adjustments. But it goes back to recruiting. We recruit players that fit our system. It wasn't like that when I first started coaching. You just inherit the team you took on. Some players would leave for various reasons and you tried your best to fill in the gaps. It's a little easier now, still challenging but still you want to bring in the best players."

He has a way to guage his players. "We have a five point evaluation system. First of all, it's toughness. How competitive. Basketball IQ. Do you make people (players) around you better. And more importantly are you adaptable. We peel away the onion, make calls, do our research to see if they are a good fit. In the past you had about two years to do that. In the portal you have about two weeks."

It can be trying. "That's one of the most stressful parts of what coaches do. We have to work at warp speed. After the season we have to see where we need to fill the holes in the team lineup. Who's leaving and who's staying. How do we fill in. We have maybe four of five scholarships we can extend. And then it's who fits CofC basketball and can we get them."

The competition for other schools is daunting on transfers. "Oh, hey we're going to get that kid. No, guess what he's being recruited by 50 other schools. His phone is being blown up. You might have a great call with him, but if he talks to 20 other schools that day he may forget you by the end of the day."

Coach Kelsey admits it's chaotic. "It's crazy during those two weeks. Maybe he's narrowed it down to four or five schools, and you're fortunate to be among the list. So if they visit we have to sell the program and much much more about playing for the College of Charleston."

Selling everything you have to offer is often the key. "Let's be honest, as a coach we're teachers and mentors, but we're also salesmen and CEO's. We're running a business. You need to market our program. We need to sell why they need to buy into our program, our community and more importantly our culture. Any good sales person is going to rely on what do we have to offer you. What is our selling point. So we're going to focus on our strengths. What we have to offer over the few other schools he's deciding on."

He reflects on a particular player from his early years. "I just got a text from Brandon Vega. I hear from him from time to time. He was my first recruit I signed when I became head coach at Winthrop. Brandon tore is ACL third day in practice and sat out the whole first season. We sign another point guard and he beats Brandon out and he becomes his backup."

As young players often do, it didn't sit well riding the bench. "Brandon and I clashed. We butted heads because he couldn't except his role. He transferred. But the standard I held Brandon to was extremely high, even as a backup. Again he left, and not on good terms."

As Vega matured his thinking changed. "You know what he does now. He'll text me and say he loves me. Now he's a motivational speaker. He's written a book. He'll text me when he's meeting a kid and tell them what I passed on to him 'The work you put in during the summer is going to show in the winter. So do the work and it will show in the winter. I have a seven or eight page letter I got from Brandon a few years ago and it basically says 'coach you were right'. He got it."

Vega's book 'Ghetto Conscious: Evolution of a Rebel', uses poetry and illustration in order to offer readers a coming of age story that depicts the tragedies and triumphs of growing up within the turbulent spaces of America’s inner cities. Vega also runs EATN an organization meant to satisfy the hunger for success and positivity through enlightenment. "I'm very proud of the man he turned out to be."

Coach Kelsey and his staff promote the same outlook today as he did with Vega. "We spend a lot of time with the players on life skills development. Serving with purpose. Case in point. Maybe we're at a public school and you have to be careful on how you go about it. Our players know and especially in the life of their coach, it's a faith based program. Again from a state run institution you have to be careful how you go about it, but twice a week we have Bible studies. Guys aren't required to attend, but after we work out we have Bible studies."

Giving back is part of Coach Kelsey's regimen. "We do a lot with our guys in terms of community service. We serve under resourced youth. A lot of our NIL initiatives are partnering with an event company out of Cincinnati Ohio. They run events for the highest level athletes in the world. They use high profile athletes in the city they play in for under served youths."

Several who have benefitted from the team. "So we utilize their model and locally have helped Meeting Street Academy and Kids on Point (local non-profit) to name a few. Our guys take great great pride in doing so and giving back. Aside from the NIL offerings, our guys go out on their own to places like Meeting Street Academy and mentor kids. They might eat lunch with a group of kids. They might read to the kids or be with them on the playground."

Daily affirmation and self worth are key to Coach Kelsey. "If our whole team were sitting here and I started this phrase they would finish it. "'True genius is the result of an un-cluttered mind'. We're constantly preaching to our players to keep their lives simple. There's three letters we talk about everyday. ABC, ABC, and ABC. Anything outside of that is superfluous. Do I want them to have a good time during their college years? Yes. Do I want them to have a social life? Yes. But 80 percent of what you do has to reflect in your basketball character."

Breaking it down. "So the A is about academics. You focus on your degree, because the balls going to stop bouncing. It's not just about graduating but it's about learning a profession in life. So obviously the B is basketball. We want the guys that what we call are 6 to 3 guys. Coach Prosser used to say there are 6 to 3 guys and there are 3 to 6 guys."

Obviously Coach Kelsey seeks out the former. "3 to 6 guys give you bare minimum. That's a guy who shows up at 3 and leaves at 6. They are there at 3pm, practice and leave right at 6pm. The 6 to 3 guys are the guys who leave at 6 but are thinking about what it takes to be a better player. Those guys are organized. Doing what they need to do academically. They are eating right. Getting the right amount of sleep, and making the right choices. So 6 to 3 is doing everything you need to do to make you a better player and more productive for the team."

Lastly, "C is for character. We recruit really hard and we cultivate. So there's another C. We're not going to compromise our principles. We're not going to bend in the way we recruit. We're looking for players with character. We understand they're kids and human beings. They are not perfect. I wasn't."

Recruiting long term or one year players is a thought our process. "We do a lot of research. We call guidance counselors, teachers, principals, and coaches to learn about them. Are they selfless. Do they give themselves for the good of the team. That's what we constantly preach is about when we talk ABC's. Hopefully we want to eliminate distractions. If you don't recruit the right kids at this place (CofC) than there are a lot of distractions. There are bars and clubs as far as you can see up King Street. Did I frequent bars when I was their age. Of course. Am I naive to think they don't. Of course not."

When you're in the public eye it has repercussions. "If they do something stupid. Get arrested. End up on the front page for something not good, than it reflects on them, the school, and the team. And it makes the front page because of who they are. If joe student does the same maybe it doesn't make the headlines. Our guys know it is what it is. So overall we're very careful on who we recruit."

After having such a banner year last season including being ranked in the Top 25, Coach Kelsey's name was among a few coaches to fill spots at bigger schools. He does his best to remain humble. "I take it all in stride. There's been several occasions during my career, and I've been a head coach now for 12 years. When you have a successful year amd things happen, calls come in. My policy is to talk about one job and one job only, and that is the job I have."

His whole mantra 'Our City' has kept him grounded. "I can tell you right away. I'm one of the most blessed coaches in America. I get to live and coach in one of the greatest cities in America. I get to represent this world class university and work for an AD (Athletic Director) like Matt Roberts as well as President Hsu, both give me the resources to be successful."

He goes on to say, "I get to play in front of a sold out arena. My wife and children love it here. So I tell people if you want to talk about a job, I'll talk about the job I have which is special. It's better than the alternative. In this business, the conversation is if you're not doing well, not winning games are you going to be keeping your job. So I'd rather it be the way we're talking about than the other."

Outsiders looking in will still ask the question "Somebody asked me recently 'wink wink', did you have any interest in those calls? Shortly after the season I had one very interesting call and it was with my wife, Lisa Kelsey and she said 'we're not going anywhere'. That makes the decision really easy."

His wife is the one person who motivates him the most. "We dated six years before we got married. And she knew how crazy of a profession this is. The long hours, being out of town. I lean on a lot of people, but she's my rock."

Coach Kelsey does his best to be regular dad when he's home. "It's all my kids know. Lisa and I don't really talk basketball at home. I do with my son because he loves basketball. When I'm home I'm dad and Lisa's husband. I get distracted like anybody else but I try to be present for my wife and especially for my kids. If they ask me for something, I've just put in 13 straight hours, played two games, and Johnny says let's go out and shoot around I'm going to do it."

Time with family is precious. "I'm with my staff and players way more than I am my family almost the entire year. The great thing about what Matt does is he allows the two to co-exist. Day one he lets Johnny sit on the bench. He lets Johnny be in the locker room. If my kids want to travel on the team bus he lets it happen. Matt is incredible. When we went to the NCAA Tournament this year, he made sure all the wives and kids were in the same hotel. He made it very very clear from day one that it's family first. Matt Roberts walks the walk and talks the talk."

While his parents, his sibling and now his own family provide him inspiration regarding faith and family, he's amended the third word to narrow it down to FFH for his players. "I'm constantly motivating my guys on a daily basis. Basically I want them to understand it's about faith, family, and hoops. And when I say family I include myself and their teammates. If you put those in that order and stay focused than you can be successful on and off the court."

More importantly he hopes to convey the following to his players. "You hear me say this to our players all the time. 'Never delay gratitude'. We don't deserve it. Be appreciative for the opportunities, talents, and gifts given to you." A lesson we can all take something from.

For more on Brandon Vega and his mission visit https://brandonvega.org/aboutbrandonvega