LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After a tough few weeks, Cards fans have their guy.
"I'm willing to give (Pat Kelsey) a chance," longtime Louisville fan Brian Pike said. "I think he's gonna' do good, just off the cuff."
"I think this guy is another guy that can come in and kill it," Paul Schuchard, another longtime fan, said. "And don't be surprised if he does."
During his near hour-long introduction to fans on Thursday, new Louisville men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey showed an infectious, high-octane energy, serving as motivation for fans to move forward.
"He's not the biggest name that people will know in college basketball, but he showed today, that, you know, he is ready for the job," former Louisville and NBA player Peyton Siva said. "Getting out in front of [fans] — meeting them, talking to them — the fans are hungry to meet the coach. They're excited to see who's going to be the next leader of the program."
For Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum's wife, Susan Sweeney Crum, it wasn't just Kelsey's energy but the respect he showed, in his highly anticipated first appearance as coach.
"He recognized Kenny...and what he did here and being a Cardinal; he recognized the other Cardinal players in the history of the program," she said. "And in spite of his youth, he knows who Denny [Crum] is. So that makes me happy too."
For just under 51 minutes, Kelsey spoke to a captivated crowd of hundreds — a who's-who of Card Nation — from former players, to former coaches and hall-of-famers.
"(Fans) are never going to really be satisfied until we win some games," Siva said. "But you know, just giving them some hope is the best they can do right now."
"I know [Kelsey's] already hit the ground running with the portal, endearing himself to the, to the boosters and NIL," former Louisville assistant men's basketball coach, Mark Lieberman, said. "He brings energy, He brings life. He'll be a spark that the fan base will love just because of what he brings to the table."
"You're going to have to make some changes, and it's that time," former Louisville hall-of-famer and former NBA player, Lancaster Gordon, said. "He talked about making some changes and working with people because it is what it is."
And, Cards fans seem ready to embrace that change.
"I just think he's gonna be the best that we got right now," Pike said. "He's got to bring a whole new team in. He's starting from scratch."
"That whole era — the NIL, the portal and all that — I don't know how I would handle it," Jeff Johnson, a longtime Louisville fan, said. "He seems to be able to do it. So I'm excited."
The expectations, they say, aren't high — only what you'd expect from one of the nation's top basketball programs.
"I think the expectation is trying to get back in the tournament," Steven Rummage, a 93.9 the Ville host, said. "It feels like there's a uniting in the fan base. And that's what's been needed around here after the last couple years."
"He's gonna be working to the, to get things at UofL back to where they need to be," Schuchard said. " I see the same energy that [I saw] when they hired Jeff Braum last year. So hopefully, this guy will come in, do his homework, do a good job and he looks like a good fit."
Watch the full news conference below:
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.