Coach Pat Kelsey Talks Basketball and More

In this episode, Coach Kelsey talks about coaching, growing up in a basketball family and why he decided to leave a successful basketball program at Winthrop University to take over as the head coach at the College of Charleston.

Transcript

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And you might not know mine at all. Alright, tell me about your passion. So, you know, it's something that I took great pride in at Winthrop. And it was one of my main major priorities when I got the job in the same exact thing is true here at College of Charleston. I want our basketball program to be the student bodies. And in order for that to happen, my ability to develop a relationship with the student body is important to me. However many undergrads there are 9000 10,000, whatever it is, is it possible for me to know every one of their names? No, it's not. But I want them to know that they matter to me. I tell them, I used to love high fives. But I think in the COVID world, they rather me do fist pumps, nothing fires me up more than being around campus and somebody recognizes coach Kelsey. Although I'll either walk over there with a bunch of T shirts or a bunch of these cool our city river bands that we just bought. I'm handing those things out because I want them to know that we need them. When I go to sleep at night, and I stare at the ceiling, I envision a PAC TD arena with a rabid group of students that are making TD arena hostile environment. And I'm not gonna sleep to what happens. Mike, are you worried the fact that we have seen a decline in students coming to not football game not only basketball games, but athletic events in general? Yeah, I just think it's the world now. Right? There's just so many other things going on. You have social media, you have your phones, you have that. So back in the day, you know, I think lives were a little bit more simple. But several things have to happen, I think for it to really, really hit one is the things we talked about. There has to be an investment from my standpoint, our student athletes standpoint, the athletic standpoint, athletic department standpoint into campus in the student body. The next thing Mike is we got to get really good. We got to get really good. Nothing sells like a winner, right? And if we get this thing rolling the way I hope and think that we're going to the two of those things come together. We're gonna go back old school and get get a crazy student body going. Perfect. I appreciate it. Thanks a lot. I hope so.