CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The annual Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Tipoff is always an indicator that college basketball is on the the horizon, and this week, it made its triumphant return.
Representatives from all 18 ACC teams descended upon Charlotte, N.C., each providing insight into the upcoming seasons for their respective programs, and the Louisville men’s basketball program was no exception.
Both at the podium in front of the media, as well as on set for the ACC Network, new head coach Pat Kelsey, guard Chucky Hepburn, and guard/forward J’Vonne Hadley each had plenty to say regarding the Cardinals.
Below are three of the more impactful takeaways over the course of the three-day event. Louisville is set to tipoff the season on Monday, Nov. 4 vs. Morehead State at the KFC Yum! Center.
Upperclassmen-Heavy Team Gelling Early, Carrying Sense of Urgency
After Kelsey took over, he had the arduous task of flipping the entire roster. When everything was said and done, the Cardinals wound up with 13 scholarship newcomers – 12 transfers and one high school prospect.
When you have a team comprised of that many newcomers, of course, it’s going to take some time for them to build up team-wide chemistry with one other. But thanks to the efforts from each other, the staff, as well as the summer foreign tour to the Bahamas, chemistry is in a good spot ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“I’ve been around a block a couple times, same with the rest of the guys on the team,” Hepburn told 247Sports. “A lot of us have been to March Madness last year, a lot of us know what it takes to win and know what a good program looks like, a good culture. We pride ourselves on having the top culture in the country. If we all know what it looks like, it’s a little bit easier to have that translate to the program.”
Additionally, with so many veterans on this team, many are running out of time in college. In fact, of the 12 transfers on the roster, eight of them are heading into their final year of eligibility. While the players do want to help lay a foundation for the future, they also see the importance both to the community and to themselves of winning immediately.
“I think we all understand that Louisville basketball needs to come back right now,” Hadley said during the main stage press conference. “That’s where “Reviville” comes from. Just reviving the Louisville culture, the Louisville way. Coach Kelsey has done a great job of implementing and just educating us on the rich history that Louisville has and the Final Fours, the national championships. I mean, he has done a great job of bringing in winners.
“Most of us have been the NCAA Tournament. We’re born winners, and we’re joining Coach Kelsey and his winning staff as well. It’s a recipe for wins in the future.”
Players Feeding Off Of Energy From Pat Kelsey and Re-energized Fans
At this point in time, it’s no secret that there are few coaches in college basketball (or sports as a whole) who have more energy than Pat Kelsey. How much energy? Well, this is a man that the late Skip Prosser once said “makes coffee nervous.”
To some on the outside, they could view this as an act or a facade. However, Kelsey brings the same amount of energy every day to practice, and this has been something that the team has been feeding off of ever since they all came together back in June.
“It kind of just motivates you,” Hadley said. “Just seeing him with energy, you just feed off of it. The whole coaching staff feeds off of it. We’re with the coaching staff all day, every day. We live in the gym, so everybody just feeds off his energy. Just having a coach like that is something that you kind of look forward to.”
Kelsey isn’t the only one who is serving as motivation to the players. Ever since they stepped foot in the city of Louisville, fans around town have been rallying behind them as well, and they have taken notice. In fact, last weekend’s Louisville Live event showed the players just how much Cardinals basketball means to them.
“Just being at an offseason event, for to see that many Louisville fans show up and support us, that means a lot to us,” Hepburn said on the ACC Network. “We know how much Louisville basketball means to the community, and we’re trying our best to bring it back.”
Kelsey High on Louisville’s Toughest Ahead of 2024-25 Season
When looking at this team on paper, there are a few things that jump out as perceived strengths. Three-point shooting is certainly one, as is defense and positional versatility. But one thing that Pat Kelsey believes he will be pillar of his first team at Louisville will be their toughness.
“The true test of your chemistry is when adversity hits,” he said on the ACC Network. “And it’s not if, it’s when. Mike Tyson said one time, ‘Everybody has a plan till you get punched in the face.’ Well, everybody’s going to get punched in the face. We have this formula called E + R = O: that’s events plus response equals outcome. The bigger the event, the bigger the response. If the event’s easy, you win.
“You went to the Bahamas, it’s sunny, got a good tan, all that stuff. You didn’t face a lot of adversity. But when you get hit in the mouth, what’s your response then? I think we got a lot of tough minded guys that are going to be ready to withstand the rigors of maybe the toughest non-conference schedule maybe in the history of our program.”
For starters, the majority of the players on the roster have postseason experience, and the knowledge of what it takes to get there. Kelsey also believes that his high energy and up-tempo practices are helping to foster a culture of toughness that will make itself obvious on the basketball court.
“Dudes are trying to rip each other’s face off (in practice),” Kelsey said. “That power of the unit is iron sharpens iron. It’s pushing that dude next to you. Now, when you get in the locker room, you go back to the dorms. We’re family, we’re brothers. But when we go to battle every day at three o’clock at the practice floor, that’s when our resolve is really tested.
“I see it all the time. I see our guys have really good practices, bad practices, how they bounce back, how they respond to when they get coached hard, when they miss shots, when they’re not playing well. I like how our guys respond to those things.”
Bonus: The Rivalry-ing Has Already Begun
As everyone reading this knows, the rivalry between the Louisville and Kentucky men’s basketball programs is one of the most fierce in collegiate athletics. With both the Cardinals and the Wildcats entering the upcoming season with new head coaches, it will mark a new chapter in the storied rivalry.
It’s a rivalry that J’Vonne Hadley is certainly eager to make his mark on.
“I’m excited for the crosstown rival, Kentucky, just showing that we’re superior to them,” he said on the ACC Network.
(Photo of Pat Kelsey: Nell Redmond/theACC.com)
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