Things are beginning to take shape.
Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Here’s the official release from U of L:
University of Louisville men’s basketball head coach Pat Kelsey announced Wednesday the additions of assistant coaches Brian Kloman, Ronnie Hamilton and Thomas Carr to his staff, as well as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach/Chief of Staff Eli Foy.
Kloman, Carr and Foy join Kelsey from the College of Charleston, while Hamilton comes to the Cardinals following two seasons at LSU.
Louisville will announce additional coaching and support staff positions in the coming weeks.
Brian Kloman
Kloman has spent the last 10 seasons working with Kelsey, the last three at College of Charleston followed by seven before that at Winthrop.
“Brian Kloman is one of the most connected and well-regarded coaches in all of college basketball,” Kelsey said. “Beginning his 12th year with me and ninth as our defensive coordinator, he combines an elite skill set that makes him effective in all facets of the business. Brian is one of the best recruiters in the country. Beloved because of his ability to engage, connect and build trust. Combine this with a great understanding of our basketball system and culture, it makes him an invaluable piece to me as the head coach. We have been amongst the winningest programs in college basketball over the years and Brian has been a huge part of that.”
“I am so blessed to have this incredible opportunity and responsibility,” Kloman said. “I’ve been with Pat for over a decade and just so blessed to be with a hall of fame coach that is also an incredible person. There is no doubt that we will work to restore dominance again at Louisville. Making this city and fan base proud will be driving me every day.”
CofC went 75-27 overall (.735) in Kloman and Kelsey’s three seasons, claiming back-to-back Coastal Athletic Association regular season and tournament championships in 2023 and 2024.
During their time together at Winthrop, the Eagles compiled a 152-65 (.700) record, made four Big South Conference championship game appearances and earned three NCAA Tournament berths in 2017, 2020 and 2021.
Kloman and Kelsey’s total time together has produced an overall record of 227-92 over 10 seasons at the two programs.
Prior to Winthrop, Kloman worked as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech and North Carolina Central. He helped NCCU to a 28-6 record and NCAA Tournament bid in 2014.
His coaching career also includes stints at Pikeville College, Daniel Webster and Pfeiffer University. In 2008, Kloman founded RecruitingRumors.com, which became one of the most popular sources for recruiting information amongst college coaches.
A native of Asheville, N.C., Kloman is a 2002 graduate of the University of Tennessee. His father, Chris Ferguson, has been in college coaching for more than 30 years.
Kloman and his wife, Beth Pora, have two daughters, Anna and Delaney.
Ronnie Hamilton
Hamilton arrives at UofL after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at LSU.
“Ronnie Hamilton is the total package,” Kelsey said. “I always say that I think there are two of him because he is everywhere. We would go to ‘off the beaten track’ FIBA events in some corner of the world thinking that we were hunting where nobody else was...and sure enough Ronnie was there. His work ethic is legendary. He is brilliant and relentless. He has deservedly gained the reputation as one of the best assistant coaches in the country and is a sure-fire future head coach. He is terrific on the floor as a teacher of the game and in skill development. There is no doubt in my mind, his hire is a coup for our program.”
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to represent the University of Louisville and to work for one of the most storied basketball programs in the nation,” Hamilton said. “I can’t wait to be a part of Coach Pat Kelsey’s staff and help him bring championships to UofL and the Cardinals faithful. I’d like to thank Coach Kelsey and Director of Athletics Josh Heird for this terrific opportunity, and I’m ready to get started!”
Hamilton came to LSU after four seasons at Ole Miss, where he worked primary with the guards and helped Rebels earn All-SEC honors four times.
Ole Miss reached the 2019 NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years, and in his first season with the program, Hamilton helped mentor the highest scoring duo in the SEC in all-conference guards Tyree and Terence Davis.
Hamilton also helped recruit a top-20 class for Ole Miss in 2019, one of the highest-rated classes in school history. The 2020 and 2021 classes also featured the highest-rated recruits the program had signed.
Before coming to Ole Miss, Hamilton was part of one of the best runs in school history at Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders won three straight Conference USA Championships, recorded two NCAA Tournament upsets over No. 2 seed Michigan State (2016) and No. 5 seed Minnesota (2017), and won a school-record 31 games in 2016.
Hamilton also had assistant coaching stints at Houston, Tulane, The Citadel and Division II Tarleton State.
The Oxford, N.C., native graduated with his master’s in physical education with a concentration in sports administration from UNC Pembroke, where he was graduate assistant coach for the basketball team from 2003-05.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Duke in 2002. Hamilton was a four-year letterman for the Blue Devil football team as a defensive back. He signed a free-agent contract with the New York Giants. After being cut during the preseason, Hamilton decided to get into coaching, but opted to follow his passion of basketball.
Hamilton is married to Christabell Mariner with four children — Jalyn, Ryan, Annalisa and Bryson.
Thomas Carr
Carr spent the last two seasons on College of Charleston’s staff with Kelsey.
“Thomas Carr truly embodies all of the essential talents to be a highly effective assistant coach in this new era of college basketball,” Kelsey said. “His recruiting network is vast as he is wired like few I’ve been around at the grassroots, high school and junior college levels. His ability to connect and build trust with players is elite. His body of work includes over a decade at the college level but also experience at the highest level of high school and AAU basketball. He was head coach at national power Word of God Academy as well as Team Loaded NC on the Adidas 3SSB AAU circuit.”
“It is hard to put into words the respect, admiration and joy I have in getting the opportunity to join the University of Louisville and its Men’s Basketball program,” Carr said. “To be a part of such a history-rich school and program, with a staff full of guys that I consider brothers makes this moment even sweeter. Our effort, competitive excellence and love for each other will be seen on a daily basis both on the court as coaches, and off it as we mentor, teach and help mold the student-athletes we are blessed to be around every day into successful adults. I said it when I was fortunate enough to get hired on staff at the College of Charleston, but it is an honor to work for Coach Kelsey. Who he is and what he embodies daily is infectious and matches everything the University of Louisville is about perfectly. I want to also thank Dr. Schatzel, Athletics Director Josh Heird and the Board of Trustees for giving us the opportunity, and look forward to being a small piece in helping to bring Louisville Basketball back to prominence in the ACC and nationally.”
Carr came to Charleston after serving for two years as Athletics Director at national high school powerhouse Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C. During that time, he also connected with numerous coaching staffs across the country as Scouting Director of Your Fourth Assistant, while also working as Director of Team Loaded NC, one of the premier AAU programs in the country.
Before that, Carr spent five combined seasons as an assistant coach under current NC State head coach Kevin Keatts with both the Wolfpack and UNC Wilmington. During the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaigns, NC State went 45-24, highlighted by a 2018 NCAA Tournament berth.
Carr’s time at UNC Wilmington was transformative for the program, producing three straight regular season CAA championships, two CAA Tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA trips in 2016 and 2017. Carr specifically coached the Seahawks’ backcourt and helped cultivate six players who received all-conference honors in three years.
Carr broke into the Division I coaching ranks in 2013-14 as an assistant coach at East Tennessee State with the Bucs making a nine-win improvement from the previous season.
He began his coaching career at Chipola College in 2009, then joined Keatts for his final season at Hargrave Military Academy in 2010-11. That yaer, Hargrave finished the season as the No. 1 prep school in the country and saw eight players sign D-I scholarships. Carr also spent one season leading George Washington High School to a 25-3 mark as the head varsity coach before landing the assistant coach position at East Tennessee State.
Carr was a two-year captain at Pfeiffer University from 2006-08 and finished second in the country in 3-pointers made.
Eli Foy
Foy spent the last three seasons as Director of Sports Performance at College of Charleston, he oversaw all 19 sports while working primarily with men’s basketball and beach volleyball. During that time, men’s basketball won back-to-back conference titles.
“Eli Foy is a unicorn,” Kelsey said. “Plain and simple. I always say that in his role, he is not just an important component of our program....He IS the program. There is no question that he is the best strength and conditioning/sports performance coach in the country. But his effectiveness just starts there. A foundational principle of our program is toughness. That identity is formed and forged in his area. The results he has had over the years in transforming the bodies and minds of our players is incredible. More than just the mechanics of the weight room, he is an elite teacher, mentor, motivator and confidant. I cannot stress enough his importance to our enterprise. His other title as Chief of Staff is proof of the level with which I rely on his counsel. I would be hard pressed to think there is a better head coach/strength coach relationship in the country than what I have with him.”
“The resources, support, and fan engagement at Louisville are unmatched,” Foy said. “I look forward to instilling a strong culture of winning and toughness alongside Coach Kelsey.”
Foy also worked with Kelsey as the head sports performance coach for men’s basketball for three seasons at Winthrop as they won back-to-back conference titles. He was responsible for all facets of strength, conditioning and nutrition. Foy also served as the strength and conditioning coach for softball and track & field, working with sprinters and jumpers.
Prior to Winthrop, Foy spent three years on the University of Arizona men’s basketball strength and conditioning staff. The Wildcats won back-to-back Pac-12 Conference regular season and tournament championship titles and made a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
He worked closely with Arizona center Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in 2018. Foy also worked with top-10 draft pick and NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen of the Utah Jazz along with multiple other NBA and overseas pros.
A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the former track & field student-athlete (jumps) earned his bachelor’s degree in nutrition sciences and biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 2014. After graduation, he spent four years as a head strength coach for SWAT Performance Training in Tucson, Ariz.
