Pat Kelsey on Louisville basketball summer workouts, Mikel Brown Jr.
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Pat Kelsey met with the media Monday morning, June 22, for the first time since Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season ended in a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan State.
There was a lot of ground to cover.
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Since that loss to the Spartans, Kelsey has hired two associate head coaches, John Andrzejek and Sean Dixon, and completely overhauled his roster — taking "an intentional approach to increase our length, our athleticism and, in particular, our rim protection." As of Monday, the Cardinals' six-man NCAA transfer portal haul stood atop 247Sports.com's national leaderboard. Overall, their nine-man incoming class ranked fifth in the country.
Meanwhile, last year's dynamic backcourt duo of Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell is hoping to deliver the program its first NBA draft with two selections since 2015 later this week.
The members of UofL's 2026-27 roster are entering the fourth week of summer workouts — a time for strength and conditioning, system implementation and skill development. "They're all doing good things on a daily basis and doing things that need to be corrected on a daily basis," Kelsey said.
They're also learning from guys who were once in their shoes — guys like Terrence Edwards Jr., J'Vonne Hadley, Chucky Hepburn, Aly Khalifa, Jordan Nwora and Russ Smith. And with walk-on Will Hanke leading the change, they're making time to get to know one another outside of the Planet Fitness Kueber Center — through bowling, fishing and even a trip to Churchill Downs.
"For me personally, the move has been pretty easy because of the culture here and the coaching staff," said senior point guard Jackson Shelstad, an Oregon transfer. "Everybody brings energy. It's like a big family here."
Here are three takeaways from Monday's availability:
Obinna Ekezie Jr., Karter Knox are working back from surgeries
Two Louisville players have not been full participants in summer workouts to this point: Obinna Ekezie Jr. and Karter Knox.
Ekezie, a 7-foot freshman who reclassified to begin his college career a year ahead of schedule, is working his way back from a shoulder surgery he underwent "several months ago," Kelsey said.
Knox, a 6-6 junior wing who transferred in from Arkansas, is expected to be cleared for full contact within the next two weeks after undergoing a procedure to repair the meniscus in his left knee in February.
"It was definitely a little crazy for me — first-ever surgery in my life," Knox said. "I'm almost there, almost at that finish line — close to full contact. I've been getting stronger every day, going to physical therapy and getting it right."
Kelsey said Ekezie, the top-ranked center in the Class of 2026 on the 247Sports Composite, is "a little bit further off" than Knox in his recovery. Still, the son of NBA veteran Obinna Ekezie is impressing the coach and his teammates with his engagement.
"Obi is on the floor every single day, and you have to get him off," Kelsey said. "And then, afterwards, he wants to walk through every single concept that we walk through. (He's) asking questions constantly."
"He has been working on whatever he can," added junior big man Flory Bidunga, the highest-rated transfer in the Cards' transfer class. "He will be a great piece for our team, being so tall and athletic."
Ekezie averaged 12.4 points on 60% shooting, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game as a junior at Southeastern Preparatory Academy in Maitland, Florida. Knox is coming off a 22-game sophomore season that saw him average 8.1 points on 46% shooting (37.7% from 3-point range), 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists for the Razorbacks.
Freshmen Isaac Ellis, Boyuan Zhang have been fearless
Ekezie is one of three true freshmen on Louisville's roster — Kelsey's largest class of first-year players here yet. Isaac Ellis and Boyuan Zhang round out the trio.
It could be intimidating, lining up alongside a bunch of season veterans. Kelsey said that hasn't been an issue with Ellis and Zhang.
"Isaac, he's a bulldog," the coach added. "He's not afraid. I think he leads the country in practice fights to this point so far, which people who know me know I don't mind that at all. If he's tied up for a loose ball, you're going to have to saw his arm off to get him off the ball — or blow the whistle 8,000 times."
"I love the way he plays," added junior guard Adrian Wooley, the lone returner who saw the court last season. "He's one of those players who does everything."
Ellis joined the Cards by way of the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite league. The 6-1 guard, originally a 2027 commit, was named its Most Valuable Player after averaging a league-best 29.3 points and 8.9 assists per game.
Zhang, a 6-8 wing, is entering his second year of hooping in the United States. Arriving from China for his senior season at Veritas Academy, he finished second in Nike's EYBL Scholastic with 20.2 points on 40% shooting in addition to 5.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists.
"(He) can really shoot the ball, can really get downhill and put foul pressure on people," Kelsey said. "Another guy who's just not afraid. If he's open with a glimmer of light, he is pulling that thing; and that's a gift. Because, sometimes as a freshman, you're a little hesitant. He's not hesitant, which I love."
Reflecting on the freshman class as a whole, Bidunga said: "I'm really confident about what they can bring to the table."
"Absolutely," Shelstad added.
Pat Kelsey won't be at NBA draft with Mikel Brown Jr.
In all likelihood, Brown will become Louisville's first top-10 NBA draft pick since 1996 on Tuesday night, June 23.
Kelsey said Monday he won't be with his former point guard when his name is called at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. "Mikel has a very, very, very close-knit family," he added. "There (are) only so many spots and so many seats there."
On his journey to becoming the Cards' first one-and-done player, Brown averaged 18.2 points on 41% shooting (34.4% from 3) in addition to a team-high 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He also tied Wes Unseld and Reyne Smith's single-game records for points (45) and made 3s (10), respectively, during a Feb. 9 victory over N.C. State at the KFC Yum! Center.
Kelsey on Monday said Brown "is going to be celebrated and remembered and revered around here for a long, long time." The floor general's UofL legacy is a bit more complicated than that, however, considering he missed 14 games — including the final six — due to a back injury.
"I'm well aware of how special of a player I coached," Kelsey said. "I'm more proud of the caliber of special human being that Mikel is. ... It's going to be a huge night for Louisville, and we're excited about it."
Conwell, a projected second-round selection, will be watching and waiting Wednesday in his hometown of Indianapolis.
Kelsey also said Monday that Hadley, Khailfa and Isaac McKneely had logged pre-draft workouts for teams. Brown and Conwell were the only former Cards to earn invites to this year's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
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Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at [email protected] and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Pat Kelsey on Louisville basketball workouts, Mikel Brown Jr. to NBA